ECONOMIC AND DIDACTIC VALUES OF INTERNET
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of every being is to live for the development of himself and his environ-development in terms of his psyche, posture and the likes. Consequently, it should be noted here that man has today worked and have seen the positives output of his work in line with his dream of being comfortable in this world. Today, this development can actually be seen in the modern status of science and technology, particularly in the western world.
In the past, every thing was done collectively to have its output at the right time. Although, things, then were made to be completely natural for proper conduciveness of man’s living in this orb. However, even though there were means of transportation, communication, business transaction, intra and inter social relation and many others, there were a lot of obstacles faced by the people. Problems like quality-but-insufficiency, hazardous outputs or ends, illiteracy and lack of exposure on the part of the producers and consumers, et cetera.
Moreover, computer, as one of the developmental elements of man and his milieu, has a great influence in the changed-face of the world ( i.e. from Old to Middle; and from Middle to Modern or Jet Age). Things that ordinary hand(s) cannot finish in a week or more, modern technologies like computers have made it easy have them done within twenty-four hours. More importantly, computer now serves as a supportive instrument for man to carryout his developmental task(s).
Recently an aspect of computer called internet, which basically used to pass information electronically from individual to individual, individual to organization, organization to community or group or/and vice versa, has greatly assisted in changing the whole world to a small village. And because of the power of information, internet has become a multifunctional instrument for human survival and his environment. It is now used for the socio-economic, psychological, spiritual and educational development of the universe.
Here therefore in this paper, we shall be driven to the concept of internet and its subordinates, economic values of internet, didactic values of internet, problems and prospects of internet and many more.
CONCEPT OF INTERNET AND ITS SUBORDINATES
INTERNET
Originally, internet is derived from two English words- international and network; which therefore literally means international computer networking. Literarily, internet is defined as a computer concept that has to do with the connection of computers around the world together for free-flow of information through cables, satellites, or the links.
According to whatis.com, internet is defined as a network of networks in which users at any computer can, if they have permission, get information from any other computer (and sometimes talk directly to users at other computers). It was initially refer to as ARPAnet, which was created and owned by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the United States in the late 1960s. It can also refer to as an open network for the outer world (souriau.com, 2007).
INTRANET
Intranet is simply defined as a private network that connected together within an enterprise, which may consist of many interlinked LANs and also used leased lines in the WAN. The main objective of an intranet is to share company information and computing resources among employees.
Generally, intranet is seen as a private version of the internet i.e. a closed and specified network which allows users to send a secured private information through public network.
EXTRANET
This is referred to as a private network that uses internet technology and the public telecommunication system to securely share part of a business’s information or operation with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other business. It can also be described as a “state of mind” in which the internet is perceived as a way to do business with other companies and sell product to customers. It requires security and privacy which can include firewall, server management, the issuance and the use of digital certificate, encryption of message and the use of VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) that tunnel through the public network.
ETHERNET
This is defined as a protocol (i.e. the roads, streets and highway codes). According to intel.com, 2008 it is defined as the international standard networking technology for wired implementation. It is also defined as the most widely install local area technology. It is commonly used in wireless LANs. And the most commonly installed Ethernet system are called 10BASE-T. Ethernet provides up to 10 million bits per second. However, it was originally named by Robert Metcalfe, one of its originators, that was once taught to pervade the universe, carrying light throughout. It was purposely to describe the movement of data throughout the network.
This, according to rediffiland.com (2007), is defined as an online correspondence system, which is basically used to send and receive instant electronic message anywhere in the world. E-mail is a word that is coined from the blending of two English words electronic & mail. The mail value of E-mail is to send and to receive electronic information and to a place respectively
World Wide Web (www)
This can be referred to as an online centre for data or information exploration. It is a centre where electronic religions, academic, socio-economics and didactic information are exchanged, etc..
Network
A network in a series of points or nodes interconnected by communication paths. It can be characterized in term of spatial distance as Local Area Network (LAN), Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) and Wide Area Network (WANs)
ECONOMIC VALUES OF INTERNET
Even though internet values are numerous, the economic values of internet cannot be over emphasis. Functionally and generally, it can be referred to the nucleus values aspects of the internet. Hence in brief, the economic values of internet are presented below:
1. E-commerce: Internet today as gone to the level of making it easier for every individual to have business transaction whereby assisting in having smooth, secured and efficient buying and selling system. That is why some scholars define internet as a conducive business transaction centre.
2. Alleviation of Unemployment: Internet as also assisted in alleviating poverty in some developed and developing countries like Nigeria. Most of the computerate graduates who were jobless are now involve in some legitimate internet business likes online MLM, Forex, e-book selling, and many other.
3. Easy and Free Access to Materials and Information: materials or information that are worthy of thousands of naira or hundreds of dollars are made pennilessly available on internet. Academically, this makes the researcher to carryout their research works effectively and conveniently. And generally, information (whether commercial, academic, religious, or more are now easily accessible with the aid of internet.
4. Internet Saves Time: An Igbo man will say: “Time na money”. Internet has in fact helped, to an extent, in reducing hours that we use to use when dealing with a tedious task. For instance, e-mail – (i.e. an online correspondence system) – has helped in having quick delivery of message – irregardless of the distance between the sender and the receiver.
5. Reduced Energy Consumption: The amount of energy released when dealing with complex task(s) had been drastically reduced to the minimal level through the aid of internet.
6. Easy and Effective Publication of Work: Nowadays, internet publication in the academic arena, are given upper hand over ordinary book publication because of its high level of accessibility.
DIDACTIC VALUES OF INTERNET
When we say didactic values, we mean moral value. Hence, the following are the didactic values we can derive from internet:
1. Spiritual Development: Access to religious information or materials is easily and effectively provided by internet. Internet is seen as a centre for spiritual development of man and his environment. For instant, ypu can have free access to downloading of Quran or Bible (autography, audio or audio-visual) from website like bible.com, quran.com and many others.
2. Development of Human Affective Domain: internet also serves as a centre for the straightening of human hearth which usually assist him in the general development of hie environment
3. Avenue for Child Proper Up-bringing: because internet is a motivational instrument, which assists a child to have effective and efficient learning, internet serves as an avenue for the proper up-bringing of a child. Children can be exposed to adequate information (didactic and academic) through the internet, because it is a centre which truly caters for autographic, audio and audio-visual educational information.
4. Human Exposure: Internet exposes man to newsy things going around the world. Being on internet is now like being at all the corners of the world.
CONCLUSION
Here we have learnt that 1960s marks the genesis of internet and that the impact of the US military officers on the innovation of internet cannot be over emphasized. However, even though abnormalities like fraudulent acts such as online theft and robbery, pornography, spamming and inadequate of secrecy (in some cases) are attached to internet, the position of internet when considering the developmental elements of man in this modern world is unique.
Finally today, as we have a functional illiterate to be a graduate without the computer knowledge so we have a functionless computerate as a computer literate without knowledge of how to surf the internet.
REFERENCES
Harbeck, R. (2006) The Computer Network retrieved November, 2008 from
www.searchnetworking.techtarget.com
Walt, H. (2007) An Anecdotal History of the People and Communities that Brought
the Internet and the Web. Retrieved August, 2008 from http://cnask.rediffiland.com/blogs/2007/12/11/merits-demerits-of-the.html
Other Consulted Websites
3. www.bharatbhasha.com/internet-and-computers.php/27724
5. www.intel.com/products/glossary/body.htm
