In a recent discussion with my Dad about the internet the question was debated whether I thought it was more like Fire or the Car. I was understandably confused at the time and may still be a little as I write this essay, but I think I get the general idea. Let me explain. Is the internet such a life changing force in our lives that it is as important as fire was to early humans, or is it more similar to the automobile that made our lives easier.

My Dad believes that it has changed the way we communicate, interact, conduct business, shop, find mates, etc so much so that it has completely changed the way we exist on the planet. My position is that the internet is just an evolution of the computer and telecommunications being brought together into a single tool which is similar to the horse and wheel being transformed into the motor car. Having said that I get flushed just at the thought of not being able to send a text or connect with friends on Facebook tonight. Maybe there is a bit of both in our positions?

Ultimately we need to look not at where the internet came from or what importance it had for past generations or how it has changed or improved our lives, but instead we have to look at whether it is going to be used for positive results or against all of us in the long run. This technology is a teenager right now and the rebellious stage has begun. People – good and bad – are learning how to use it to their own gain. We are seeing medical solutions for terrible diseases posted while at the same time how-to-build-a-bomb sites continue to pop up. The internet is being used to search for missing children who have in some cases gone missing as a result of web stalkers. Online stock trading has caused the markets to fail and then rapidly recover because information is so easily available. I think that the internet is at a point in its growth where it will soon be determined if it will survive as it is or if we need to change it to protect our way of life.

Our parents struggle to make decisions together when trying to raise us as teenagers. Imagine how difficult it will be to get a billion sets of parents to come to the same conclusion when each has a different perspective. Like the automobile it can help us move about and accomplish great things but in the wrong hands it is a weapon. Like fire, it can sustain life or take it. In the case of the internet, we need to decide as an online community what we want it to be when it grows up.