By Vincent Trinh ’25
As we are experiencing the repercussions of the ‘digital age,’ social media and the internet have dominated our everyday lives. We and the rest of the world have seen time and time again the impact that technology has on our society. Whether it be corrupting the minds of young teens and adults on social media, or fueling the good and bad campaigns of various groups, the internet has already invaded every part of our lives.
One major contributor to this is one we all know too well: the internet.
The internet is not just limited to YouTube and Google; no, its connectivity expands as far as hospitals and government systems.
With the rise of the ‘digital age’ came an overreliance on the internet and its services. When you pair this with government control over the internet and its linked devices, tyranny by the government becomes detrimental to all citizens. VNCsolutions.com, an IT service company, reports, “Early in July, Cuba went offline for more than 30 minutes after the government blocked VPNs and major communication apps due to widespread protests against the health crisis and economic meltdown. Cuban citizens weren’t able to communicate via Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal.”
As a result of the people of Cuba placing their most important systems in the hands of the internet, when their government shut it down for a mere thirty minutes, the consequences were immediate and severe. Without communication over the internet, many businesses came to a complete halt. Doctors failed to send medical reports, investors had their trading terminated, and families were left in the dark along with the rest of the nation.
Those who support the opposite side of the argument, who think society benefits from the internet the most, will claim that the internet’s benefits are undeniably life-changing and pioneering in positive ways.
One could even say that its influence is reminiscent of the Industrial Revolution, which also spurred a plethora of inventions and innovations.
It would seem that a good chunk of people agree with this. Community Tech Network states, “We can therefore conclude that the internet has made society better. Over the past few years, optimism about the capacity of digital tools to help solve the world’s most pressing challenges has risen 11 percentage points (to 55%).” This is perfectly encapsulated in a quote from David Cake, an active leader at Electric Frontiers Australia, who said, “Significant, often highly communication and computation technologically driven, advanced in day-to-day areas like health care, safety, and human services will continue to have a significant measurable improvement in many lives. … Advances in opportunities for self-actualization through education, community, and creative work will continue (though monetization will continue to be problematic).”
While these benefits can certainly be measured, there will be consequences that will be unmeasured but lived and remembered.
Entire nations and their peoples’ futures will feel the long-term repercussions of the internet’s long-term consequences. Just as the Industrial Revolution had technological innovations that brought with it extremely contrasted levels of poverty, the internet will follow suit. However, instead of poverty, our world will suffer from the powers of the internet that span entire nations.
While the government’s control of the internet can be insignificant to some, you may not realize that the internet has given anyone backdoor access to all of our information and devices. While this can sometimes be on the small scale of scam emails or identity theft, what we don’t see is how larger entities can also use the internet. A report from USNI states, “Evidence of nations using social media as a disruptive weapon has grown in recent years. Russia has developed a reputation for the use of ‘troll farms:’ groups of hundreds of people whose job is to infiltrate message boards and comments sections, to advance Russian national aims or seed discord and disharmony” It goes to show that as some businesses will thrive off of the internet’s unity, others will use it for more sinister means.
Just as the Industrial Revolution shut down industries and shifted society’s distribution of wealth, the internet will allow our society to be gradually shaped in secrecy by whoever it pleases.
The long-term effects of the internet will both build and destroy aspects of society, but the scar it leaves on the world will be one that will never heal.
The Raider Press 