Khan Academy: The Good
I believe online educational
websites, like Khan academy, represent a positive aspect of the Internet. Khan
academy, in particular, allows anybody to browse a selection of 2,400 educational
videos online for free. Here, people are able to learn almost anything for
free, and watch at their own pace and liking.
Over the summer, I used Khan
Academy, to help prepare for organic chemistry, which I was taking in the
upcoming semester. It helped me get a head start on a difficult subject,
reducing some of the anxiety I had. It also allowed me to revisit topics, in
other subjects, in which I wanted a refreshing on.
Khan Academy is just one of the
many educational websites existing on the web today. I believe that by giving
students the option to access additional educational videos online, like those
found on Khan Academy, we are promoting a more successful education for
everybody.
Internet Swatting: The Bad
This article, titled, “Online Joke Triggers Police Response,” brings forth an online joke conducted by pranksters across the globe, which targets law enforcement officials and emergency medical staff. The more formal term given to this kind of pranking is “swatting,” or an attempt to trick a dispatcher into reporting a false emergency to local emergency responders. It’s purposely called swatting, because the emergencies reported are meant to draw in a SWAT team. This type of pranking is becoming more popular, and causing many problems along the way. This is why I believe it represents the bad side of the Internet.
False reporting of emergencies is causing law enforcement to become skeptical about reported crimes. Actual crimes may be overlooked because of this. Swatting is a dangerous way to prank, and is distracting law enforcement from their job. In addition, calls can be made from around the country or world, which makes it difficult to locate and prosecute the criminals.
Boston Marathon Scammers: The Ugly
The 2013 Boston marathon is a race
that will be remembered forever. As a result, people from all around the world have
come together, donating money to a help those affected by this traumatic event.
Unfortunately, this article discusses how marathon scammers are becoming a
prominent part of the Internet today. I believe actions like these represent
the ugly part of the Internet. They allow scammers to easily target good
causes.
This article specifically mentioned
a situation in which a fake twitter account tricked more than 27,000 people
into believing that if they re-tweeted a post, a $1 donation would be given to
the Boston fund. I believe this example
magnifies how drastic Internet scamming is, and how it’s often difficult to
tell the legitimacy of a situation.
