Computer display
We’re all conscious of the ways the internet has changed things we do
things day-to-day, from keeping in touch with friends and collaborating at
work to finding information, planning our lives and shopping. The press is
full of anecdotes about the unexpected effects of using the internet. Here
are a few
- a study by University College London found that people with chronic
illnesses who consulted health information on the web tended to have worse
health outcomes than those who didn’t, possibly because they made their
own treatment decisions rather than take doctors’ advice
- eBay users
who search for items using misspellings (e.g. ‘dimond’ rather
than ‘diamond’) sometimes find bargains that others using correct
spellings have missed.
- a tragic, New York, murder case was solved through
the blog of one of the victims who described the visit of his sister’s
ex-boyfriend, who then murdered the blogger and his sister.