The Internet: Are We Misusing One of Humanity’s Greatest Discoveries?

The internet is probably one of the greatest tools humanity has ever found. It gives us access to knowledge, education, communication, and opportunities that previous generations could only dream of. 

Yet, when we look at how we use it today, we have to ask ourselves a question: What have we actually done with this extraordinary invention?

Fraud, pornography, dodgy products, and aggressive marketing seem to be everywhere. 

You can hardly watch a documentary, read an article, or search for information without somebody trying to sell you something. Even worse, some people have turned personal struggles, insecurities, and emotional pain into marketing tools, all in the mad pursuit of money.

Imagine sitting down to watch a political documentary, only to have an advertisement interrupt it to sell you a product for menstrual pain. There is nothing wrong with advertising such products, of course. The question is why they are being pushed at people who have no interest in them, even when users adjust their preferences to receive more relevant advertising.

Then there are the endless interruptions from people telling you how to become rich, how to live your life, and how unsuccessful you supposedly are if you have not achieved what they claim to have achieved. 

You came to watch a documentary, not to be lectured about your finances by a stranger.

When did access to information become an obstacle course?

Try accessing an academic paper or a useful piece of information. You will come across registration forms, account requirements, verification procedures, subscriptions, and restrictions before you can even begin reading. 

When you finally gain access, the information may be incomplete or buried beneath layers of unnecessary complications.

Meanwhile, questionable products, scams, and explicit material can be found with remarkably little effort.

Doesn't that tell us something about our priorities?

The internet was supposed to make knowledge more accessible. 

Instead, parts of it have become environments where attention is a commodity, personal data is valuable, and every moment presents another opportunity to sell something. The more time we spend online, the more opportunities there are to capture our attention and turn it into somebody else's profit.

Of course, the internet allegedly has also transformed education, medicine, business, research, and everyday communication, but relative to what is currently imaginable in some quarters, my question remains. 

Millions of people use it, but is it to improve their lives, yes countless others depend on it for their livelihoods, but foisting what into humanity for a salary, likes, or whatever '?'. 

The problem is not the technology itself. It is how we choose to use it, how we allow it to be used, and what our systems reward.

We should also be asking a more fundamental question: Are we measuring the damage we are doing with the internet as seriously as we celebrate its achievements?

We can measure online fraud reports, financial losses, identity theft, cybercrime, and the spread of harmful content. We can examine how these figures have changed over the years and compare them with the growth of internet access. 

Such evidence would help us distinguish between genuine increases in harm and increases in reporting or detection.

Humanity has built a remarkable tool. But building something extraordinary does not automatically mean we know how to use it responsibly.

Perhaps the real question is not what the internet can do for humanity.

It is what humanity has chosen to do with the internet.