opinions // 20

In and out of the net

» What has the Internet turned us into?

Elliot Chan

Opinions Editor
WP | Mopinions

@theotherpress.ca

We we think of the
Internet we think about
the free flowing traffic between
us and endless information and
connections. Without having
to put on shoes or brush our
teeth we can go shopping, hang
out with our friends, attend a
course, and watcha movie. That :
is the Internet we know of.

As our dependency on the
World Wide Web increases
and technology advances, the
Internet becomes more than a

research data base, social meet- :
: : insight. Remember when free

up, and entertainment resource. : : :

> porn was like a hidden gem and

: “how to make a bomb” articles

were the red flag keywords?

Like a plant growing fast and
wild, branches and roots stray
off in directions away from our
periphery. The Internet is also
now a cliquey underground
society fulfilling the needs of
those who want smut, drugs,
and other products not readily
available at Wal-Mart.

The dawn of the Internet—

changed the face and other
body parts of the pornography
industry and the way criminals
corresponded, exchanging

a

As the web progressed,

: leaked photographs, stolen

: identities, and bootlegging

: have become the norm. We

: are no longer fazed by these

: wrongdoings. We condemn
them, sure, but the lawlessness
sometime during the late ‘gos— : of the Internet does not
: Institute any repercussions.

: Click away, delete, or access a
: different hard drive and we'll

: be safe. As the law tries to end
: torrent sharing sites such as

: Pirate Bay, it seems they may

: never stop the numerous illegal
: acts occurring on the Deep

: Web, an area of the Internet

: not indexed by standard search
: engines.

As of 2001, the Deep Web

: was believed to occupy a space

: 400 to 500 times larger than the
: Internet we normally access,

: our surface web. Here are some
: numbers that might give you a

: better idea: over 10 years ago,

: the size of the Deep Web was

: estimated to be about 92,000

: terabytes, which is 92,000,000

: gigabytes. But all the numbers

 

The way we make money

: has changed thanks to the

: Internet. The way I make

: money is through content

: creation. I write marketable

theotherpress.ca

: copy for different companies

: from tech to arts. My job

: would not exist without the

: Internet. However, many are

: choosing different avenues

: online to make a living as

: well: e-commerce, SaaS, and

: monetized user generated

: content. The last one in the list

: is interesting, because people

: can literally sell a show from the
: comforts of their own home. It

: can bea video blog like the kind
: you watch on YouTube, it can be
: avideo game commentary like

: the kind you see on Twitch, and
: it can be pornography like the

: kind you find on MyFreeCams.

: There is literally a platform for
Image from Thinkstock :

any kind of entertainment you

: are merely speculation, because : want to produce, and you can

: there is no real way to measure
: it. What makes the Deep Web

? worrisome to some? Well, can
: you imagine a physical place

: where you can buy a quarter

: gram of Afghan heroin, various
: firearms, fake identification,

: and hire an assassin? No?

: Well, on the Internet, there are
: hundreds and thousands of

: places.

: make a living doing it. Just try
: to avoid using public library as
: your settings.

It’s horribly clear that today

: we can only truly know a person
: by understanding their search

: history. The fact that Google

: has more information about us

: than our friends and family says
: alot. Our relationships, our

: knowledge, and the life we’ve

: created are now a few gigabytes

: onthe Internet. And that is how
: significant we'll continue to be

: as the web, like the universe,

: continues to expand.

 

Cash and burn

» Welcoming a world without cold hard cash

: touch money again and only

: use digital wallets. Ifyou are

: currently relying predominantly
: on cash, it’s a probably a good

: time to start implementing a

: more modern way of payment.

: After all, the new way is more

: organized, it’s more accessible,

: and it’s even cleaner.

Elliot Chan

Opinions Editor
WP | Mopinions

@theotherpress.ca

We the ubiquity of
credit cards and mobile
payment, fewer and fewer
people are carrying cash with
them ona daily basis. I barely
ever carry cash around, just
a couple of bills in case of an
emergency—like if a hot dog
stand doesn’t accept debit. Aside
from that, I rely mostly on my
cards and mobile device to pay
for my purchases. If suddenly
cash ceased to exist, I don’t
believe it would affect me much.
Ina way, I believe cash will
inevitably become obsolete, the
same way gold coins at a market
can only get you odd looks.
Cash, after all, costs money
to make, which is a paradox
worth some time pondering.
In a 2014 poll conducted by
Leger Marketing, 56 per cent
of Canadians reported that
they would be happy to never

Relying on another form

of payment aside from cash is

: a reliable way of keeping track

: of funds. Payment and banking
innovations have changed the

: way people handle money.
Instead of having a roll of fat

: cash in your pocket or a stack

: of bills in your wallet, you'll

: just have a number. No more

: miscounting or miscalculations.
: There will come a day when we

: will never have to fumble with

: change to tip our server or board :
: the bus. It'll simply be taken off
your credit, tab, or account.

Security is a still a prime

: concern for those engaging

: in digital payment. Ina

: cashless world, frauds, privacy
: infringements, and identity

: theft will be ever-present crimes. !

: There is no reason to be afraid
: of such an incident as long as

: we are responsible. Muggings
: and robbery have been

: happening for ages, in every

: form of currency from coins

: to chickens. Crime is a natural
: part of the system, and the

: security infrastructure currently
: in place is as dependable as

: any infrastructure to protect a
: person’s valuables.

We are approaching the

world without cash. Maybe it

: wont happen this decade, but

if trends are to continue we will

: be relying on the dollar bills less
: and less. We will be buying stuff
: with cards, tokens, codes, and

: whatever else our smartphone

: utilizes. Our money will always

: be in our control, but how we

interact with it is changing.

: Social media is a now a payment
: transaction vehicle. I’m ready for
: it. It’s going to make spending

: easier, and for those who hate

: shopping, like me, I’m eager

: to get what I want without

: thumbing through my hard-

earned money.

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