Daryll B Cruz Position-Paper (The Creation of Internet)
Daryll B Cruz Position-Paper (The Creation of Internet)
Daryll B Cruz Position-Paper (The Creation of Internet)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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