1. Introduction
The opening sentence
- “The Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is complete substitute for life.” as Andrew Brown cleverly put it.
Development
- The Internet is like real life, which is difficult to generalize.
Explaining the issue
- It is evident that rapid access to and exchange of information powered by the Internet and computing devices have offered enormous benefits to the world.
- But at the same time, there is no denying that sometimes it seems that the Internet could be dangerous and harmful owing to increasing online crimes.
Thesis Statement
- And yet I argue that as a whole, rapid and free flow of online information is beneficial to societies.
2. Body 1
Counterarguments
- Some people may emphasize the danger of online rumors, trolling, crimes and the like, without acknowledging the benefits of information technology.
- It is true that online activities could cause serious harm in the real world.
- For example, it was reported that in a nasty case in 2006, online trolls sent emails with photographs of a teenager’s corpse, due to a traffic accident, to the grieving family.
- Besides, recently there are a number of online hacking cases, where massive personal data were stolen and taken advantage of, causing considerable financial loss.
Rebuttal
- However, the double-edged sword as technology is often called, it is unfair to call information technology a danger to societies.
- The real danger comes from vicious online trolls, criminals and terrorists.
- Moreover, in order to solve problems and crimes on the Internet, governments and companies need to invent and use more innovative technologies, which heavily rely on an open and free Internet.
3. Body 2
Topic Sentence
- On the contrary, the benefits created by rapid and free information dissemination thanks to modern technology cannot be overstated.
Supporting idea 1
- Among other achievements, it has helped to create tremendous business opportunities, powered rapid and convenient communication, and enabled prestigious universities to offer free education online.
- To begin with, the world economy has benefited significantly from information technology.
- Of the top five most valuable campaigns by market capitalization in the world, four of them are IT companies.
- What’s more, in recent years many startups based on innovative technologies grow fast, offering useful services that large corporations do not have.
Supporting idea 2
- Additionally, information technology has made communication between ordinary people convenient and inexpensive.
- Even many senior people, whom it usually takes longer time to adopt new technologies, also use free smartphone apps to talk and share photos and news, and thus feel more connected and less lonely.
Supporting idea 3
- Furthermore, online education, such as MOOCs, have enabled students who cannot afford expensive tuition fees to take elite education courses and learn useful skills that can translate into decent jobs.
Conclusion
Restatement of the thesis
- To sum up, it is unwise to call the technology powering rapid and free access to and exchange of information a danger to society.
- Rather, free information access and exchange are greatly beneficial to societies in various respects.
