Will the internet be seen as a curse or blessing in the long run?

IT was a long time before I wanted anything to do with the internet. I saw it as an intrusion on my privacy and didn’t want to know anything to do with it.

I still don’t trust it and whilst recognising that it has many good points there is much opportunity there for misuse by unscrupulous persons.

Instant communication is not necessarily a good thing if it is used by those intent on causing trouble and disruption. Or by those hacking into it for their own gain, defrauding others, or to sell fake goods to unsuspecting people who think they are getting a genuine article at a ridiculously cheap price, after fake reviews praise it to high heaven.

However, everybody but me seemed to be using the internet and so after much persuasion from my family I made the effort to understand more about it.

First I bought a laptop of my own, then a used iPad from my son and then got adventurous with that part of my iPhone that I had previously ignored.

I am now reasonably proficient at sending texts, emails, etc and looking up things that previously would have required a set of encyclopaedias to discover the answer to but I still wouldn’t use it for on-line banking or anything else that asks for too much information about me.

I am willing to admit it is a wonderful thing if used properly, and am full of amazement that all the information is there about everything, any time, past and present, all over the world.

There is no denying that the internet has come into its own during the present Covid-19 pandemic. People can work from home, order shopping and anything else to be brought to the door. Even self diagnose their illnesses on-line, have telephone appointments with doctors and hospitals. No need to go out at all, and I suspect this will continue after the present crisis is over.

Shops, big and small are already closing because of it. People who work in them have lost their jobs. High streets already have many empty premises with signs ‘To Let’.

On the plus side as a result of less traffic, there is less pollution and air quality should be better.

But I wonder if in future people will think the old way was best, when we could see before we buy, compare one item to another, ask questions face to face, think for ourselves and not have to rely on a computer to do it all for us.

Will the internet be seen as a curse or a blessing?

P Collins Bristol