With the Dotcom gold rush and the advent of the Internet,
the world has proliferated and grown more sophisticated. The
Internet, just like the cellular phones and televisions, has
become a need in this modern era.
Closer to home, the introduction of the Multimedia Super Corridor
(MSC) has boosted the numbers of Internet users in Malaysia.
In fact, the cyberspace fever is still spreading, faster than
we ever imagined.
The Internet, once dominated
by military intelligence, has brought changes into our lives.
Although it was initially
created as a communication system to outlast the fallout
of a nuclear war, the Internet has been liberated. One needs
only a telephone line and a computer equipped with a modem
to explore cyberspace. Thus, knowledge is now easily and readily
accessible. With just a simple surf to various search engines
in the Net like Yahoo or AltaVista, we can get thousands of
web addresses linked
to the information we want. We can even download it and save
it into our computer for free.
Furthermore, communication via the Internet is very convenient
and cheap. Net communities can congregate via e-groups or
chat rooms with a very low cost. Discussions can be held online
without the hassle of rushing to a meeting place. We can even
contact our friends or relatives anywhere in the world easily
by sending e-mails, which is much cheaper than the conventional
"Snail Mail". Indeed, the Internet boom has made
the world even smaller.
Besides that, Internet-based companies, usually known as
the Dotcoms, are sprouting everywhere, creating a new type
of businesses. This so-called business of the new millennium
is e-commerce. It is actually an online web portal created
by the companies as a platform for them to provide their services
or sell their products to everyone in the world without the
need of launching new branches in other countries. In Malaysia,
many Dotcom companies are formed due to the fact that we need
these types of companies for our MSC project. Some meet failures
while being formed, but those successful ones keep on earning
big money from the benefits of e-commerce.
However, cyberspace is no longer a safe zone. One of the
major threat caused by the introduction of the Internet is
pornography. A recent survey shows that 30% of the websites
parked in the Net contain sexual-based images or materials.
This pornography poisons the minds of the young. Their fresh
minds have been corrupted by these negative elements. Some
of them even get addicted
and neglect
their responsibility as a student. Though there
are many kinds of censorship software in the market such as
NetNanny and SurfWatch, the government's policy of not censoring
the Internet has affected the young very seriously. Therefore,
a comprehensive study should be made in searching for the
best solution.
In addition, the crimes like hacking, cracking credit card
numbers, spreading computer viruses and spamming
have been a common topic lately. These done by unscrupulous
people have caused a lot of damage and loss. A company's database
can be destroyed in a split second and home users will have
to send their computers to the service centrers more often
if these people keeps keep on exploiting the Internet.
Besides, to understand more deeply about our national cyber
awareness, one must surf the websites. Some of these websites
sell a mixture of rumors, propaganda and amateur political
analysis. These half-truths especially by the anti-government
movements have created a certain havoc in the nation. The
citizens and the international communities seem to receive
false news about our country, which will affect our economy
and political stability.
Thus, there are many advantages of the Internet. But the
current "migraine" suffered from the exploitation
of the Internet should not be taken for granted. Government
should take serious measures to handle the problems and make
the Internet a safer place for everybody to explore.
(643 words)
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