ACADEMIC LISTENING TEST PRACTICE
INTERNET - FIVE REASONS WHY
THE INTERNET IS BAD
INTERNET - FIVE REASONS WHY
THE INTERNET IS BAD
For Students Preparing for Academic Tests / IELTS and TOEFL
Listen as you read the script.
Playing Time: 2 minute 34 seconds
More than 4 billion people in the world use the internet, and almost everyone agrees that its introduction in the 1980s was, overall, a very good thing. The internet is a tool that we use in so many positive ways: we use it to play games, find new jobs, make new friends, learn new things, shop online, and much, much more. However, like most things in life, not everything about the internet is good. Here are five bad things about the internet.
First, many people use the internet far too much. It could even be argued that many people are addicted to it. In the United States, for instance, it is quite common for people to use the internet as much as 24 hours each week, or about 3.4 hours each day. In Europe, meanwhile, many people say that the internet is more important than watching TV, having a car, or even getting washed. I have to wonder: do people like this even have the time to use their brains to think original thoughts?
Second, many people use the internet at work, not to just get their jobs done, but for personal use. But does checking your Facebook at work really decrease your work productivity? The research on this is mixed. Many studies report little negative impact, but one particular study reported, in 2016, that workers spend up to 32 percent of their work time checking their social media accounts.
Third, internet use may cause depression and anxiety. This may be due to the large amount of negative news online, as well as to the pressure that some people may feel when they compare their lives to the perceived lives of their social media connections.
Fourth, anyone can go online and post information that they claim is true. But, when fact-checked, a lot of this information turns out to be untrue. This was a serious problem in many countries during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Finally, some internet users are criminals who want to infect your computer with a virus for the purpose of stealing your bank account or credit card information. Or they may pretend to be someone who they aren’t, with the intention of scamming you (or tricking you) into giving them lots of money.
Knowing how the internet can harm us is very important because, with this information, we can take steps to minimize its negative effects.
First, many people use the internet far too much. It could even be argued that many people are addicted to it. In the United States, for instance, it is quite common for people to use the internet as much as 24 hours each week, or about 3.4 hours each day. In Europe, meanwhile, many people say that the internet is more important than watching TV, having a car, or even getting washed. I have to wonder: do people like this even have the time to use their brains to think original thoughts?
Second, many people use the internet at work, not to just get their jobs done, but for personal use. But does checking your Facebook at work really decrease your work productivity? The research on this is mixed. Many studies report little negative impact, but one particular study reported, in 2016, that workers spend up to 32 percent of their work time checking their social media accounts.
Third, internet use may cause depression and anxiety. This may be due to the large amount of negative news online, as well as to the pressure that some people may feel when they compare their lives to the perceived lives of their social media connections.
Fourth, anyone can go online and post information that they claim is true. But, when fact-checked, a lot of this information turns out to be untrue. This was a serious problem in many countries during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Finally, some internet users are criminals who want to infect your computer with a virus for the purpose of stealing your bank account or credit card information. Or they may pretend to be someone who they aren’t, with the intention of scamming you (or tricking you) into giving them lots of money.
Knowing how the internet can harm us is very important because, with this information, we can take steps to minimize its negative effects.
Note: For more cool ESL resources about the internet, visit my All Things Topics site.
