What are the consequences of the internet?

[Norwegian Anonymous]

I'll give thumbs up to everyone who helps me, and ofc a best answers vote to the person with the best answer.

I'm currently working on a submission for school, where I have to write about the consequences of the social media. I haven't gotten far in my writing, because I'm kinda stuck. So, I need some help. If you have som keywords or key phrases that I can work on, that would be really great.

The task has also given me the following questions to answer:
* How is the public debate in today's society?
* Who participates in the debate?
* What opportunities and constraints does the media provide for debate?
* How has the media development contributed to new forms of communication?

I didn't really understand the 'debate'-thing. Do you think my teacher meant political debates or something?

Thanks!

[Soccer Mom]

1. Freedom of speech - In the past, governments could commit atrocities against their people and block the press out so that nobody heard about what was happening except through rumors. With the Internet, people can take photographs and video of these atrocities and inform the world so that something can be done.

2. Communication - Before the Internet, families abroad could not keep in touch with one another. Telephone calls were very expensive and mail was very slow. People felt they lost their families once they moved away from home. The Internet allows people to feel closer to their family members and stay in touch on a daily basis or minute by minute when bad things happen.

3. Education - The Internet now offers an amazing variety of information about every subject that someone might want to learn about. There are online courses for people who live in remote areas and there are free encyclopedias, free access to library database such as the Library of Congress (LOC.gov), and then there is social media where you can ask people their opinion or ask people what their personal experiences are on any subject.

4. Buying material goods - With all of the shopping sites and websites, people can order anything, even groceries online. This saves people driving time, saves gas, and helps people with physical disabilities to get their shopping done without having to leave home.

5. Medical care and medical advise - For people who live in remote areas or have trouble leaving the house it is possible for them to communicate their medical status or to ask questions from their medical doctors without having to drive somewhere or spend time on the telephone. People have access to websites that allow them to try and self-diagnose simple problems or decide whether or not they should go and see a doctor.

6. Socializing - With all of the social websites people can search and locate others with common interests or for dating and social gatherings. People can advertise to their friends or to the world about their upcoming parties or social engagements. People can discuss important issues of the day and stay informed about the activities of loved ones or the general public.

7. Advertising - Business can create e-commerce websites and other tools that allow more customers to see their available products and to generate more sales. This is much less expensive than traditional mail-order-catalogues that wasted many natural resources and were limited to how many pages a company could afford to print and mail to homes.

8. Ecology - With the Internet, many people now get their financial statements from their creditors online instead of via the mail. This saves our valuable natural resources and postage as well. Although jobs are lost, the end result is a much more efficient and ecological solution to billing and statements and keeping up with your finances. People can pay their bills online preventing them from wasting paper in checks, envelopes and postage. It also saves gasoline for delivery people or people who used to drive to physical locations in order to pay their bills. And when you need to look-up something from an old bill you can simply find it online rather than digging through your records or requesting that a new paper copy of an old statement to be mailed to your home.