Much has been written about the Internet addictions of the modern generation, largely in vain as they appear to be indifferent to moralising.

Time passes so quickly that it’s easy to sit down at the computer one morning and realise we have aged several years before we leave it. Much has been written about the Internet addictions of the modern generation, largely in vain as they appear to be indifferent to moralising. Here I try a different approach to point out the pitfalls.

Where there is demand, there will be someone, somewhere who will be capitalising on it and this is no different even for those who are addicted to the Internet. Unsurprisingly, it is easier to earn money from a blog telling consumers the difference between an Apple iphone 5 or 6 than to lay tarmac in 40 degree heat. Whilst we can live without iphones however, life would be more difficult without roads. There has been a recent surge in the number of beauty blogs available online. It is possible to find advice on what to use to decorate a nail of your little finger, at what angle to comb your eyebrows and much more. Hundreds of bloggers constantly advise women how to turn themselves into Barbie replicas. If a mere half of these beauty bloggers decided to become teachers, medical workers or engineers, then our shortage of professionals would be greatly helped. You might say what would be the point of putting so much effort into a career when the money is to be easily had from simple online demonstrations, as well as the additional benefits of fame and some celebrity? This would appear a logical idea but takes no account of the satisfaction and motivation so important to a good career and fulfilling life. As we appear to be open to new ideas promoted through the internet, it would be more beneficial to turn the vogue for online advice into more motivational subjects. If it could be made appealing to young trendsetters, it could be a powerful tool to help society.

The social networking tool is well used already by professional groups; these groups can earn significant sponsorship deals if they are seen to attract a large number of professionals. There are over 190,000 different groups, the largest attract and link millions of followers and are highly prized by companies buying advertising space on the site. Although there are some groups uniting communities for worthwhile and responsible causes, many are irresponsible and can be used to promote poor ideals. There are sites for example, linking teenagers who wish to self-harm, containing graphic images and descriptions, melancholic and disturbing, these are damaging to society. It is worth considering how to use the power of these communities to promote traditional values, good morals and common socio-economic goals in an accessible and appealing way. The vast majority of these blogs contain nothing worthwhile.

Studies by scientists show that the use of social networks can deliver a week’s worth of information to the brain during one day. As this is unstructured, it can only be generally absorbed as a sort of ‘mush’ of information. There is in addition the time factor, how much is wasted and how this affects productivity. In truth, making money in this way is much easier than baking real bread in a hot oven, dragging heavy bags or laying tarmac, but in the future we may be asking ourselves who will provide the food and who will lay the roads if the situation is left unchecked?