The Internet is probably the most important and beneficial invention in the current technological world, and it’s not an exaggeration of things but an absolute fact. The importance of the Internet, backed by stats, and usage is increasing daily. If you look around, your daily life revolves around the Internet, and you will see the involvement of this innovation in almost everything.
It is why the Internet is now officially declared an essential service by the United States government and many governments worldwide. And it is because of this status that governments and service providers are doing their best to provide most people with cost-effective and efficient internet connections. An example of this can be seen through the reduction in the prices of Cox internet plans because Cox is among the ranks of responsible service providers committed to providing good quality service at a cost-effective rate.
This sheer involvement of the Internet in all aspects of life is why internet users worldwide have soared to over 5 billion, making up almost 61% of the world’s population. This huge user base is enough to convince anyone regarding the importance of the Internet. However, those who still can’t grasp the concept of the vitality of the Internet probably don’t know about the term “Internet of Things.”
Internet of Things
IoT is an intricate concept that feels like something pulled straight out of a sci-fi film. It explains the transformation of the Internet from being an intangible service to something that has transformed into a physically tangible form. But how does the Internet become tangible? Well, that’s through the devices that it powers. The core foundations of the IoT infrastructure are entirely based on “smart devices.”
All these smart devices like smart TVs, smartphones, smartwatches, and smart home assistants, all-in-all almost every device that has the word smart in it or has some AI embedded in it needs the Internet to work as per its full potential. So it won’t be wrong to say that the “smartness” in these devices comes from the Internet, and without it, these gadgets would be essentially deemed useless.
It is why these devices are also named IoT devices alternatively. Since these gadgets are powered by the Internet thus, they are considered the physical manifestation of the Internet itself. While the crucial thing is that these smart devices have become a lifestyle now, without them, it won’t be easy to lead a normal life in this technologically enhanced landscape.
Internet in Different Fields of Life
Apart from the culture of IoT, there are many other aspects in which the Internet plays a key role that has increased. It is significant to reach the level of an essential service. Below we’ll be discussing some of those fields.
Education Sector
Today’s education sector is heavily dependent on internet services because, over time, the physical education system is phasing out in favor of online infrastructure. A practical example of this was demonstrated during the time of peak pandemic.
Although online education was prevalent for quite some time, it was only after the pandemic that the online education infrastructure showed us its full prowess. Apart from the actual educational side, the Internet is also used in many other aspects of the educational environment. For example, grading and results are often displayed online in many educational institutes, and students submit their assignments online and collaborate with their peers and teachers through online means.
E-Commerce Industry
Talking about the E-Commerce sector’s influence on today’s overall business landscape would sound caricaturist. Still, for those living under a rock, it might be a surprise that the E-commerce industry hit a $5.2 trillion mark in 2021, by far the biggest by any alternate business strategy.
There was a time when people preferred to go out shopping, look for products physically, and pay by cash. Well, all these sentiments have changed today. People need more time to go to individual stores to buy products and pay through digital means. Here we are not talking about luxury products or wearables like clothing because today, essential goods like groceries are purchased online. It is the impact the Internet and E-commerce have made on the overall business sector.
Corporate Sector
The entire corporate sector shifted over to the Internet quite a while ago. It was the first industry that adopt the Internet as a basic working tool on such a huge scale. After two decades of this adoption, the Internet is a part of every corporate environment.
Every time you walk inside an office environment, the first things you see are computers or laptops connected to the Internet. The Internet has become an essential part of every office environment. Whether it’s used for file handling, communication, or data storage, the Internet is used in all these aspects.
Summary
Through this article, we have tried to enlighten our readers about the importance of the Internet in the current world. It is because of the huge amount of immersion in sensitive and important fields of life like the ones mentioned above that the Internet has become an essential service today.
If this wasn’t enough, the rest of the perquisites of the Internet becoming an essential service were fulfilled during the pandemic when it was the only service responsible for handling the whole world’s infrastructure.