Internet and Books

BOOKS 
Socrates thought that books were a really bad idea, taking away from our ability to memorize 
In 17th Century, Robert Burton complained of the chaos and confusion created by the availability of so many books 
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INTERNET 
The Bad 
Easy access to pornography (children seem to be able to find it easier than the adults). 
Viruses and malicious software that affect our home and business computers. 
SPAM - Need I say more on this subject? 
Deceptive marketing and scams. 
Online stalking of ourselves and our children. 

The Good 
Access to museums and libraries all across the world. 
Instant access to the latest news and events. 
Instant access to friends, family and business associates through email, instant messaging, video conferencing, etc. 
Shop from home without leaving your chair. 
Consumer information on products you are thinking of buying. 
Entertainment - music, movies, books, radio, etc. 
Trivial knowledge. 
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IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON OUR LIVES 
As past studies have found, TV is the big loser, with Internet users watching about 17% less television. That's probably not bad news. 

The article goes on to say that the Internet is also causing us to sleep less (by 8.5 minutes) and that it reduces contact with family members by 23.5 minutes per day. The researchers acknowledged that they cannot answer the question of whether or not it strengthens or weakens social relationships. That's been a burning question since the rise of the Internet, and many tons of paper was wasted in the mid and late nineties to print handwringing articles about how the Internet would probably turn us all into introverted, pale-faced geeks sitting in our basements in the dark night after night, hanging out in seedy chat rooms.