Blog Post #3

A blue whale calf gains as much as 200 pounds every 24 hours, growing to be 219 560 pounds and reaching adult hood in 8 to 10 years. 360 985 492 people used the internet in 2000 and 1 966 514 816 people use the internet today. So over a span of ten year a blue whale gains 219 560 pounds and in that same span of time the internet gains 1 604 429 324 users. Cyberspace dwarfs mother nature. It has become uncontested as a universal tool for business, communication and more and it is safe to conclude that the internet has grown exponentially, defying any comparisons. Because of this growth the world can now truly be, and is on its way to becoming, a global village. We have the power to be in contact with any one from anywhere in the world at the mere click of a button. This has offered the ability for companies to expand beyond their physical limitations, removing the problem of travel to make big deals. Any information is also now available at a civilian's desire. You can access anything you want by typing it into google. This takes away power from the government by empowering the people to do their own research about a subject instead of just accepting the government's word as absolute reality. So despite the fact that the internet promotes freedom, from knowledge to who one interacts with, it can also promote anarchy by making the population think they don't need anyone because the internet can sate any appetite that they may have. It puts power in the hands of some who are not equiped to handle it. Humanity is easily influenced, examples being the hoards that followed Hitler and even the existance of eating disorders. There are those that cannot think objectively about information and may find themselves believing whatever they read. Anyone can post anything on the internet, meaning not all of it is true, and there are people who cannot tell the difference. They may be swayed into extremist causes or made to believe things that make no sense. Al Qaeda uses the internet to foster extrimism just like pedafiles find the young and vulnurable online and turn their prey into potential terrorists. Most cults in the United States maintain websites and through them they sell literature, recruit new members and promote themselves. So despite the fact that the interent is a momumental step from freedom's perspective, the fact still remains that some cannot handle the limitless information. Pedafiles, terrorists, false information and people who wish others ill will all dwell on the internet, stalking their prey, and with the demographic of users becoming younger and younger as the internet becomes more easily accessable and widespread, prey is becoming more easy to come by.
For me, the internet has empowered my dreams and brought them brushing against my fingertips. It acts as a window so that I may see into many different lives around the world and better understand them. It has made it possible for me to pursue my passion by educating me so that I may help those across vast oceans improve their lives. It has also provided me with a lifeline. After the three months in hospital I spent last year, recovery has only been possible with the support of those I met in Vancouver. The north has no resources to assist me but with the internet, in particular facebook, I have been able to share stories and give and recieve words of encouragement from those in my same position. So putting it in a broad perspective, the internet has saved my life because if I lacked that support I would not have been able to carry on.
In twenty years I see the internet consuming every aspect of our lives. If we look merely in the 2000's we can see the steady creep of its tendrils spreading out from mere entertainment in our own homes. When I was in elementary, cell phones were non-existant in class rooms but now I hear about problems with them in the younger schools. Cell phones with internet access are now a neccessity with not a day going by without seeing hundreds. I believe this trend will continue until one day we won't need appliances to access the internet. I believe that it has become such a predominate tool in our lives that the technology will be invented enabling our own minds to "surf the web".