Describe three ways that computers have made the world safer and less safe.

Having computers and the internet has opened doors for us to interact with each other on a macro and global level. We are more aware of different cultures and topics through online forums, social media, and websites. Furthermore, we have created a platform where everyone has the opportunity to interact with each other. More importantly, the internet and computers have been both a blessing and danger to our society. The main components that are both good and bad about computers and the internet is the privacy, security, and exposure behind it.

Computers and the internet is a place where you can become anyone you want. This means that you can choose to either put who you truly are in real life or choose to portray a made up character. Having the choice to do so allows you to dictate the privacy you want for yourself on the internet. You can share as much or as little about yourself with the risk of knowing someone else has access to that information. Privacy can be turned to something dangerous on the internet because if you choose to have less privacy on the internet, you can attract a crowd of people who may know more than necessary about you. This avenue allows online stalkers and catfishes to utilize your shared content for their own agenda.

Security is at the epicenter of computer usage and internet presence. Computers and the internet is a safe place for us to buy from online stores and post on social media because of the high security it has to ensure our accounts do not get hacked into. With compromised security on the internet, the world becomes less of a safe place because the victim of the security breach can be asked for ransom or harassed by the hacker. When companies that we do our transactions on sell our data to third party companies, this can leave us less secure and at a risk.

The internet and computers has allowed us to gain extreme exposure to the world through different online outlets like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or Snapchat. This allows us to learn about things that may be out of our reach through the internet in a short amount of time. The easy accessibility to people and information can be dangerous to the younger generation as they grow up using the internet. Even though many parents hand technology to kids obliviously thinking they will only be watching Sesame Street on Youtube or playing Minecraft with their friends, this can often be misleading. As kids and teens become more comfortable with using the internet, they can run into pedophiles or people with the wrong influences. This type of exposure online makes the world a less safe place because it sways children and teens away from the original intention of the internet and instead brings them down a dark path.