POSITION PAPER

The Creation of
the Internet
Daryll B. Cruz
Course

Larry C. Abrera
Professor
 POSITION PAPER

The Creation of
the Internet

DARYLL B. CRRUZ
Course
 Title of the Issue

Introduction:
According from the annual reports of advertising firms, Hootsuite and We are Social (2021),

the Philippines is first in the world for time spent on the internet this year with a whopping 10 hours

and 56 minutes average per day (Chua, 2021). This is not the first time we have topped this list, for

in 2019, we clocked at 10 hours and 2 minutes of internet usage a day (Lamb, 2019). This rising

trend of internet usage is becoming an alarming problem in our country considering the fact that

almost everyone is still stuck at home due to the current situations of today. Brought about by the

pandemic is the rising screen time and internet exposure of not only adults but also of children

especially those who conduct their classes online. This is very disconcerting due to the fact that we

spend more time on the internet than in the world that we live in. Furthermore, we see younger and

younger kids having early internet exposure as seen in the internet and in numerous social media

platforms such as TikTok. Hence, with this opportunity granted, I will make it a point to firmly prove

my standpoint that the internet is a harmful innovation that we have today.

First, the internet has become a new source of addiction for people especially kids and

teenagers. Surfing the Internet has become a way of life for some kids and young adults, which

alienates them from their peers and replaces real-life interaction with the virtual one. Excessive

Internet usage contributes to other problems, such as juvenile obesity, depression and delinquency.

Long internet usage can result to sleep problems due to long-term exposure to blue light and

stimulating content from screens which will then affect one’s health especially one’s eyesight due to
the lack of quality sleep (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016). Because of their addiction to the

Internet, kids and teenagers spend most of their free time surfing the Web instead of running around

and interacting with peers. The lack of physical exercise may adversely affect the normal

development of a healthy body. In addition to internet addiction, other detrimental effects of early

and long-term internet exposure are body dysmorphia, low self-esteem, and social anxiety brought

about by misleading beauty standards in social media platforms (Adkins, 2018). People who spend

too much time on the internet end up losing touch with reality and live in a fantasy world which

makes them detached to anything and anyone outside the internet.

Second, it poses a threat to our security. As we all know, the Internet is used in almost every

aspect of economic, social, and political life which poses many security threats that haven't been

seen before. For instance, cases around the world where young children would buy game credits

online without even informing their parents makes it susceptible for hackers and criminals alike to

commit credit card phishing and fraud (Sarwar, 2020). Susceptibility of online grooming, child

pornography, and contact of young people to pedophiles also post a great risk considering the early

introduction of kids to the internet today and the amount of time spend in it with all the free time they

have. Last year, the Department of Justice tallied 279,166 cases of online child sex abuse in the

Philippines from March to May alone (Sarao, 2021). Additionally, Internet networks are susceptible

to invasion by hackers as well as computer viruses like malware. Take for instance the “ILOVEYOU’

virus made by a Filipino hacker which costed businesses and government agencies billions in

damages (Griffiths, 2020). The “ILOVEYOU’ virus was the first global virus made and passed

through the help of the internet using emails sent to people wherein once you click it, your device

will be encrypted with the virus. These criminals can easily gain access to valuable and sensitive
political, economic, financial, and technological information caused by the lack of stringent safety

protocols of the internet.

Lastly, the internet causes information overload and harmful effects on cognitive development.

Information overload is the abundance of daily information which in turn hinders one to adequately

understand an issue and make effective decisions. Information overload is associated with loss of

self-control, feelings of exhaustion, poor cognitive functioning, and job dissatisfaction. In one study,

people took an average of nearly 25 minutes to return to a work task after an e-mail interruption

which is bad news for both individuals and their organizations (Scientific Foresight, 2019). On the

other hand, there is evidence that prolonged internet use can harm children's cognitive

development, including the development of memory skills, attention span, critical reasoning abilities,

language acquisition, reading, and learning abilities. Excessive use of the most common

technological devices and the internet can lead to distraction and concentration problems (Mental

Health Association, 2021).

THE ISSUE:
Is the creation of the internet a helpful or harmful innovation today?
YOUR PERSONAL STAND ON THE ISSUE:
Though the internet may pose many harmful effects to people, its benefits outweigh the

negative impacts of internet usage. Yes, there are those who use the internet in wrong ways such

as scams, creating viruses, and addiction but most of these problems can be resolved with the use

of internet as well. As a person who relies on technology, the internet is not only convenient in

communication but it serves as a practical tool for business and transactions in this age. Businesses

like freelancing, advertising and vlogging is now simple and straightforward if not for the creation of

most online software. Now the lives of today’s people are easier due to the innovation of the internet.

CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH:
Therefore, to conclude all of my points, let me reinstate that the creation of the internet is a

harmful innovation of today. Considering the facts that it can lead to internet addiction, pose a threat

to our security, cause information overload, and create harmful effects on cognitive development.

Until there comes a time where internet regulations become stringent and further safeguards are in

place for the privacy and safety of all the users of the internet are in place, the internet is and will

always will be a harmful innovation that promotes laziness, health issues, and criminality. Though it

provides us convenience and comfort with our daily activities, it also costs us our privacy and safety.

We are paying a greater price than the service that we are receiving. It is time that we step back

from the internet and go back to surfing our local libraries and spend more time in nature with family,

friends, pets, and peers. Let us all remember that the only connection that should and will matter

when we grow old and weary is not how fast our internet connection is but rather how many and

how deep our human connection is.

• To promote information, media, and technology literacy.

• To inform people of the harms brought about by the internet.

Lamb, K. (2019, February 1). Philippines tops world internet usage index with an average 10 hours a day. The
Guardian. Retrieved from:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/feb/01/world-internet-usage-indexphilippines-10-hours-a-day

American Academy of Pediatrics (2016). Digital Media and Your Children and Teens: TV, Computers, Smartphones,
and Other Screens. Retrieved from:

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/The-Benefits-ofLimiting-TV.aspx

Adkins, A. (2018, May 9). How Social Media Contributes to Body Dysmorphic Behavior. Retrieved from:
https://www.thelexingtonline.com/blog/2018/5/7/how-social-mediacontributes-to-body-dysmorphic-behaviors

Griffiths, J. (2020, May 4). 'I love you': How a badly-coded computer virus caused billions in damage and
exposed vulnerabilities which remain 20 years on. CNN Business. Retrieved from:
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/01/tech/iloveyou-viruscomputer-security-intl-hnk/index.html

Sarwar, F. (2020, October 16). Harmful Impact of the Internet on Children. The Times of

India. Retrieved from: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/lifecrunch/harmful-

Sarao, Z. (2021, January 8) ‘Protect our children:’ Solon wants to strengthen Anti-Child
Pornography Act. Inquirer. Retrieved from:

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1381252/protect-our-children-solon-wants-to-strengthenanti-child-pornography-act

European Parliamentary Research Service (2019, February 18). How the internet can harm us, and what can we
do about it? Retrieved from:

https://epthinktank.eu/2019/02/18/how-the-internet-can-harm-us-and-what-can-we-doabout-it/

Mental Health Association (2021, June 18). Positive and Negative Effects of Technology on Children. Retrieved
from: https://www.mentalup.co/blog/positive-and-negativeeffects-of-technology-on-children