Internet and its uses
Internet is a global network of inter-connected computers, where one computer can be connected to any other computer (or computerized device) in any portion of the world.
Internet uses various internet protocol technologies. The recent introduction of mobile internet have been equally successful.
Internet surfing is very easy. Internet is available in all major villages, towns, cities of almost every country. It is possible to surf through Internet with the help of internet browsers such as Windows explorer, Google chrome, etc.
The organization that provides the Internet service to end-users are known as an Internet Services Providers (ISP). The major internet companies of India are BSNL, Vodafone, Airtel, Idea, and Aircel.
Uses of Internet
The key to success of Internet is the information. The better the quality, the more usage of Internet operations.
Large volume of Information: Internet can be used to collect information from around the world. This information could relate to education, medicine, literature, software, computers, business, entertainment, friendship, tourism, and leisure. People can search for information by visiting the home page of various search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.
News and Journals: All the newspapers, magazines and journals of the world are available on the Internet. With the introduction of broadband and advanced mobile telecommunication technologies such as 3G (third generation) and 4G (fourth generation), the speed of internet service has increased tremendously. A person can get the latest news about the world in a matter of few seconds.
Electronic Mode of Communication: Internet has given the most exciting mode of communication to all. We can send an E-mail (the short form of Electronic Mailing System) to all the corners of the world.
Chatting: There are many chatting software that can be used to send and receive real-time messages over the internet. We can chat with our friend and relatives using any one of the chatting software.
Social Networking: People can connect with old friends on social networking sites. They can even chat with them when they are online. Social networking sites also allow us to share pictures with others. We can share pictures with our loved ones, while we are on a vacation. People are even concluding business deals over these social networking sites such as Facebook.
Online Banking (Net-Banking): The use of internet can also be seen in the field of banking transactions. Many banks such as HSBC, SBI, Axis Bank, Hdfc Bank, etc. offers online banking facilities to its customers. They can transfer funds from one account to another using the net-banking facility.
E-commerce: Internet is also used for carrying out business operations and that set of operations is known as Electronic Commerce (E-commerce). Flipkart is the largest e-commerce company in India. The rival, Amazon, is giving stiff competition to Flipkart.
Mobile commerce: Mobile commerce (also M-Commerce) refers to the commercial transaction that takes place over the mobile internet. Using the mobile internet technology, many companies have introduced mobile version of websites and mobile apps, to promote and sell their products. Customers can simply browse several through the products and buy online through mobile internet.
Mobile wallet: Many companies offer the service of mobile wallet to its customers. Users must have a smart-phone and internet connection to use this service. Users can pay an amount into their mobile wallet, which they can use to make online payment such as bill payments, recharges, etc.
Entertainment: Apart from a major source of knowledge and information, the utility of Internet in the field of entertainment cannot be undermined. We can visit various video sites and watch movies and serials at our convenient time.
Technology of the Future: Internet is the technology of future. In the times to come, offices would be managed at distant places through Internet.
Conclusion
Internet is very useful for everyone. It is the superhighway of information. The cost of Internet has been reduced over-time. The cost of the computer system, modem and other associated hardware is also likely to come down. In case computer system is not available, one can browse internet over the mobile phones. All major smart-phones support browsing functionality.
The possibilities an Internet are endless. However, some people waste their time while surfing through various websites. Some others try to view those websites that are not meant for them. This is a bad tendency and must be checked. Internet must be used for development and not for decay.
People must learn Internet operations and must try to collect only the useful information. The present century would usher humanity into a new era of Information Technology (IT) and Internet is the backbone of this exciting era.
