But somehow being a house wife gives me plenty of time. I have never been fascinated by serials, so that option is closed for me which brought me closer to the internet and I had then found twitter and mouthshut. I am guilty of trying to kill my mouthshut account although I found out that I couldn’t do it and then I even wrote a mail to the team but they didn’t reply. But its been a few months since that mail and now I think it was good that I stayed. Twitter was killed and found again although I am just a sedentary tweeter.

And after long seven years, I have finally settled online (at least I think so). Now I know where all I belong to. I confine myself to Yahoo home page, torrents, mouthshut and blogger. Fascinations have died somewhere along the long way.

Internet has got its own drawbacks. When you can find almost everything on the internet, it’s tough to know the authenticity of the information provided. Well there are trusted sites; I do agree. For instance, if you want some medical information you can always trust mayo clinic. But what about more general things? A search in Google can give results but it can never tell me the accuracy of those results. Wikipedia; the largest encyclopedia is a database updated by people all around the world and the site owners agree that the site’s information is not verified. But most of the time our search for several subjects end here. Internet has turned out to be the largest media for crimes as there are no set rules against them. Forgings, phishing websites, identity crisis, Blackmails, Frauds everything happen through this media. And the facts that the laws to protect internet users still remain flimsy making it a very dangerous place to be in.

Agreed!

But what about the real world??? How much of the world you see and feel can you trust? How much can you trust a person whom you have met in your real life? Hasn’t there been Identity Crisis?? Haven’t Blackmails and Forgings taken place?? So what makes it different?? I don’t have the answer. But I do feel that the carelessness that accompanies one into the cyberspace could be the culprit. But then again how much carelessness is dangerous?? I don’t know. Everyone handles security numbers, account numbers, personal details and stuff in the real world and always is careful about it. Whenever money and personal details are in question strictly stay away from sites that no one has heard of or used. Trust the verified sites like Amazon and EBay; then again be vigilant about the sites that are forged on the name of the trusted ones.

But internet has changed our lives. When everyone criticizes the virtual space, I adore it but it’s not the social networking or just the communication factor that is in question. Yahoo chat was the god sent program that helped me when I was engaged to my man who was 3000 kms away from me. Even now, it opens up a way to talk and see my loved ones back home at very low rates no matter which part of the world I am. Internet opens up the doors to the largest database in the world. Whatever information whenever needed is right there on that digital library; all you need to do is access it. GPS (Global Positioning System) is a wonder that works with the help of internet. Yesterday we were on a trip across the country and Thanks to the GPS that we reached that place without much ado. Travel information and bookings, banking, education, shopping, research, communities, entertainment, an arena for talents, businesses, leisure…What not!!!

The Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life. ~Andrew Brown

The dilemma strikes when people forget their real life and get immersed in the virtual world living a totally isolated life. But it doesn’t have to be like that. Whatever be the thing, we always need to draw a line; a black bold line that limits the boundaries and keeps it away from our life. Social life on the virtual world does not mean that our real social life should suffer. But it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t value the relationships online either. The fact is that everyone needs to strike a balance between them.

So whatever happens, or however one may criticize, I am of the opinion that there is nothing that one can do to take internet and computers off any man’s life. It has become an integral system and has become interweaved with our lives so intricately that there is nothing that can be done about it except looking out for its dangers and consequences. Every coin has two sides, so does internet, enjoy the better side and take care of the other.