The Internet and the Mass media
As relatively young, at age 11 I started to use the Internet without any clue of how big impact it would have on my life. I think many people were so amazed in the beginning when the Internet came that they didn’t really thought about the significances it would have on their lives.
Kung et al (2008) says that since the first Internet era, the Internet now has stepped into a more calm face were companies are more careful when they invest in new things. They also have more knowledge about the Internet and know not to do the same mistakes as the first time.
One thing Kung et al (2008) pointed out was that Internet wouldn´t have been what it is today if it weren’t for the consumers. It’s the consumers who have helped the Internet reach its greatness and if it wouldn’t have been for them, Internet never would have reached its levels today. People have managed to adapt the new technological change to their own needs which also has increased the requirements for new products.
It has shown that a lot of the new content on the Internet has been created by the consumers instead of companies which on the one hand have given greater freedom of choice, but the content has also been questioned about its credibility. Many people use the Internet as a source to find information and when sites such as Wikipedia appears, it’s difficult to recognize what is reliable and not. (Kung et al, 2008)
In a way I think it’s good that the Internet is as free as it is, but in the same time it’s scary to see how much crap it can create, just because someone has the ability to produce its own content. When it comes to Wikipedia, I think it’s amazing how people have managed to create their “own” encyclopedias. Hopefully most people have the sense to understand that not everything displaying on Wikipedia has credibility. But Kung et al (2008) would like to emphasize that when it comes to content and news, the online papers are still the primary choice for the reader instead of the armature-papers, which shows that quality is an important factor when it comes to reliable content.
Kung et al (2008) describes what impact the Internet has had on the mass media and the world. It is refreshing to read such a book recently published just about the impact the Internet has had on our society. Somehow, the Internet has become such a self-evident to all, and I can barely remember what it was like before the Internet’s time.
