Is the Internet a Blessing or Curse? - Hot Topic Tuesday

Blessing or Curse—The Internet: What has the Internet changed in your life?

The other day my husband Mark and I had a heated discussion over phonebooks. I believe that phonebooks are a thing of the past, but my husband is still a believer in the Yellow Pages. He thinks that people use the Yellow Pages as much as ever.

Right after we had this discussion I read the article The Decade of Destruction. http://2010.newsweek.com/essay/a-decade-of-destruction.html It states several things that have been adversely affected by the Internet. Just to name a few: newspapers, music, movies, books, letters, and the postal service.

So I started to ponder all the changes the Internet has made in my life. I can’t imagine life without my online life. It’s pathetic, I know.

But here are the major changes to my life because of the Internet.

• Letters to email
• Newspapers to news on my homepage
• Maps to Mapquest
• Library to online research
• A big old medical book to online health information
• Going to the mall -- now it's amazon.com

Well, I think you get the idea. The Internet has enhanced my life. However, I understand its potential for the destructiveness: pornography, social isolation, and the ruin of certain business. What’s your opinion? What effect has the Internet had on your life?

And just to settle the discussion that started this whole post, do you use the Yellow Pages?