UNIT 4: Multimodal Translation The negative effects of internet use

Main Claim The main claim for this research essay is that too much use of the internet has negative effects on the users. This main claim is based on the fact that the internet has numerous negative effects on frequent users. Internet use is also growing and spreading rapidly around the world. This is being fueled by increasing easy access to internet enabled devices, availability of internet connections and high speeds. The internet is also attractive in itself because of the many benefits people get from it. These benefits include the following.

Pictorial representation of Internet

Internet Enabled Devices

Negative Effects of internet Use - Excessive use of the internet causes addiction – This is the inability to have control over the use of internet. - Internet addiction is described as being similar to addiction caused by drugs and this is because internet use activates the same pleasure pathways as drugs and alcohol. - Evidence of this addiction is based on the existence of internet addiction rehabilitation centers and the fact that nations likes China and South Korea have already declared this problem as a major public health issue in their countries.

Negative Effects of internet Use - In the case of China, psychologists first advocated for inclusion of internet addiction as a clinical disorder from as far back as 2008. - This was based on some of the harmful effects they observed in frequent internet users such as feelings of anger and tension due to failure to get online and staying more than six hours online without studying or working.

Negative Effects of internet Use - In the case of South Korea, 8% of the whole population was found to be internet addicts in 2010. - To deal with that rising addiction rates, the government in 2011 enacted compulsory policy called Internet Shutdown and another one called Cooling off in 2012 to restrict teenagers on the amount of time they spent gaming. - These steps adopted by the government are indications that internet addiction exists and is harmful.

Negative Effects of internet Use Internet addiction leads to effects such as psychological, social, school, and/or work difficulties in the person’s life all of which are harmful to the person. Internet addiction leads to weakening of people’s social skills and their emotional intelligence. This also makes people especially young internet users be vulnerable to being influenced into living double lives or fantasy lives where they live an online life that is different from who they are in real life. It increases people’s vulnerability to getting into deviant behaviors such as addiction to gambling, drugs, getting extremists ideologies and so on. The internet also opens them to a world of crime and this has been supported by the fact that South Korea introduced the policies to deal with internet addiction when crimes and deaths that were connected to internet addiction were reported.

Negative Effects of internet Use Internet reduces people’s intelligence and hence leads to poor academic performance for students. This is because the internet is distractive to the brain of users and this makes them not able to focus their mind on something. This weakens their cognitive abilities and hence they become less intelligence. Internet also provides people with answers to many issues and hence they do not have to think hard to get the answers. This weakens their cognitive abilities and also weakens their memory.

Counterargument – benefits of internet The internet helps people to connect with others easily through platforms such as social media platforms such as Facebook, twitter and so on. The internet has revolutionized how people communicate. There are new faster, efficient and cheaper ways of communication such as email or messaging apps. The internet has provided people with platforms to do businesses. It supports online retailing which is cheaper, and has wider market reach. Internet supports learning and gaining of knowledge. This is because it is a platform where people do educational research and also learn for general knowledge.