What are the advantages of the Internet?

Information, knowledge, and learning

The Internet contains an endless supply of knowledge and information that allows you to learn about almost any topic or question you may have. Using a search engine like Google, you can ask virtually any question and find a web page with an answer to and information about that question. There are also millions of videos on sites like You Tube explaining various topics, and online courses to help teach you about many different subjects.

Connectivity, communication, and sharing

In the past, it would take days and sometimes even months to receive a letter from someone else. Today, with the Internet, you can send an e-mail to anyone in the world and often have it delivered in less than a minute. Other forms of communication, such as chat and VOIP, also allow you to have instant communication with anyone in the world with video.

Online forums are also places where people who share common interests can connect and talk about what they enjoy, or ask questions of other experts in the field.

Address, mapping, and contact information

With the help of GPS technology, the Internet can help map and direct you to almost every place in the world. You can quickly route to your location or find businesses in your area that may sell or provide you with a service you need. Today’s search engines are also smart enough to know your location and help give you the most relevant searches for your area. For example, if you need a plumber and search for “plumber,” you’ll get a list of local plumbers in your area.

Banking, bills, and shopping

The Internet provides access to your bank account to view the balance, make transactions, and send money. Also, many services enable you to view and pay bills electronically.

Online shopping is another huge advantage of the Internet, giving people the ability to find products of interest and buy them without having to visit a store. The Internet provides easy access to compare prices between companies, and even see what others think about a product through online reviews to help make better purchasing decisions.

Selling and making money

If you are a business or want to sell products and services, the Internet is a perfect place to sell most goods. Because anyone in the world with Internet access can find your website, you have access to more potential customers than you ever could with a local retail store. The Internet is always on and always available, which means you have the potential of selling goods every day at all times. The Internet also gives businesses the ability to advertise their product or service to everyone in the world or specify an exact demographic they want to reach.

Collaboration, work from home, and access to a global workforce

The Internet is the perfect place to work with other people from around the world. Several online services help you work with people around the world, and with an almost instant communication, it can even make producing new products and services faster.

An Internet connection provides many people with the ability to work from home or have a virtual office. Today, many businesses allow their employees to work from home using their computers and Internet connection. Working from home can help save people money by not having to pay for child care, and save them money and time by eliminating the daily commute to and from work every day.

If you are a business that needs employees, many services online can give you access to people looking for a job all around the world. Being able to hire someone from another part of the country or world gives you access to a wider talent pool and may also be cheaper.

Donations and funding

With access to a much wider audience, anyone with an Internet connection can quickly donate to their favorite charity or help fund projects and ideas that interest them. Also, those looking for charity can find many online services that help make it easier to help donate or support their causes.

Entertainment

The Internet gives everyone access to an endless supply of entertainment, with access to watch videos, watch movies, listen to music, and even play games online.

Internet of Things

The Internet helps make devices in your home connected and smarter by giving them access to the Internet. For example, the Nest thermostat can connect to the Internet to help control the heating and cooling in your home. Also, once these devices are connected, they can be controlled remotely using your computer or smartphone. By connecting IoT (Internet of Things) devices to your home, it can become smarter and more efficient and help save energy, money, and time.

Cloud computing and cloud storage

The Internet connects your computers and Internet-enabled devices to cloud services, like cloud computing and cloud storage. With cloud computing, a device can have access to more powerful computers and even supercomputers to perform complex tasks while you or your business work on other tasks.

Cloud storage synchronizes data across any of your Internet-connected devices, so you have access to your files from anywhere. It makes backing up information easier, and safer — your data is securely stored in a professionally-maintained server. So, if you are using a cloud storage backup service and your home or office burned down, you would not lose all your valuable data.