Internet Used for Research in Ten Years
Over the past few years, Internet has become an inevitable part of our everyday lives. There are many disputes regarding the necessity of using it and the impact of it, but nobody can deny that it is everywhere, and we cannot imagine our lives without. There is a great variety of different sites, databases, forums, chats, and social networks to spend your time at. Internet was originally invented for military purposes, but now it is used for more peaceful activities, like conducting a research for example. The aim of this project is to discuss and predict Internet usage for conducting research in ten years from now.
This research will be based on the results the Elon University’s survey conducted from the late November 2013 through early January 2014 among Internet users. (Elon.edu, 2014). To make the research more productive and close to reality, some ideas from the Pew Research Center will be discussed as well.
Internet is relatively cheap and accessible mean to conduct research, but it has its drawbacks. There is a great gap between people of different ages and levels of education; location also plays a great role in the availability of Internet, therefore those factors may also influence a research in a negative way and some people prefer classical methods of research. (Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 2011)
According to the research that Elon University conducted, Internet will be “like electricity”, less visible and more integrated with our lives. (Elon.edu, 2014) They have interviewed a great variety of people from all over the world. Areas of Internet interest of those respondents varied greatly; 19% told that they were research scientists, 10% authors and editors, 9% businessmen, 8% technology developers, 8% activist users, 7% consultants, 2% lawyers and politicians, 2% pioneers or originators and 33% indicated themselves as “other”. (Elon.edu, 2014) Most respondents were enthusiastic about the influence of Internet by 2015. It is hard not to agree with them. Nowadays Internet helps us to get education not even leaving home, buy food and other goods, and to my mind the opportunities will be unbelievable in the future. To my mind, Internet will have a positive impact upon research in the next ten years.
In conclusion, it is needed to mention that either you are using an Internet resource or a traditional library you have to be selective in your research and make your own conclusions based on the information received. As neither a book nor a web link will teach you to regurgitate the knowledge and make your inference.
References:
- Pew Research Center for the People and the Press,. (2011). Internet Surveys. Retrieved 2 November 2014, from http://www.people-press.org/methodology/collecting-survey-data/internet-surveys/
- Elon.edu,. (2014). Elon Pew Future of the Internet Survey Report: Experts Predict Internet's Impact by 2025. Retrieved 2 November 2014, from http://www.elon.edu/e-web/imagining/surveys/2014_survey/2025_Internet_Impact.xhtml
