Has the internet revolutionised our way of thinking?
544963
Yes !\n\n- Communication is instant (Email/IM/Skype..)\n- Answers to most of your questions are available in less than a minute (Google, Yahoo Answers)\n- Global Thinking is very much in vogue, so we all share a great deal of concerns and thoughts (blogs, portals)\n- We can trade anything from anywhere (Amazon, ebay)\n\nWe could go on and on...Our horizons have expanded to cover the entire world.
1133557
You're looking at it. Not Yahoo! Answers per se, but the global connectivity and free idea exchange of the internet.\n\nThings are changing fast right now people, faster than ever.\n\nExciting, huh?
297777
Nice question, I do love the internet, it links the world together, there is soo much on the net, and more is on the way.\nThe best thing for me about the internet is that you can find ideas, you can reach out to the world and emarce yourself in the random maddness of someone else. \nIts not just about finding a peace of infomation anymore, its about living with the internet not for or on the net but with it, its a hugh part of the world. with this in mind you sould enjoy what it is and keep idea open and free for others to enjoy.
1124348
Not really:  I see it more as 'coming full circle.'\n\nFirst, in the olden days, (before TV, movies, & even radio!) people entertained each other all the time.  People who played paino or guitar or harmonica were the musical part of the 'program,' everyone knew (as we do now) at least one quick wit who was good for laughs, and if nothing else, the dumbest person in the group could be counted upon to say or do somethign interesting now & then.  And, all of this could be entertaining without reaching the same level of sophistication because it made up for that by allowing direct, immediate feedback.  Entertainment was more of a conversation; likewise, conversation was a bigger part of entertainment.\n\nWith the coming of all these professional entertainment technologies, people saw the possibilities of the entertainment becoming more sophisticated, but didn't recognize what they were giving up in exchange.  But it also didn't matter, because they didn't spend so much time at computers (or, to a lesser extent) on the phone.  Instead, they were conducting much of their business & personal affairs face-to-face.  So, they still had enough direct-feedback, face time in their lives.\n\nNow, we spend SO MUCH LESS time directly interacting with each other, we have (consciously  or subconsciously) come to realize that the polished and very impersonal entertainment no longer makes up for the missing interaction.  So, we come back around to a more 'personal' form of entertainment.\n\nWe're still not finished, though.  The level of feedback available has increased, but I'm guessing that it still isn't enough to fulfill our social needs.  There will either be another shift that makes entertainment even more personal (more 2-way webcamming may be one way that happens,) or people will begin to drift farther away from all the electronic entertainments, in favor of more personal time.  That would be a continuation of the trend away from movies & TV, and toward the internet, of which this site is an exellent example of 'conversations.'
111112
It continues to impact use.  Since the internet is part of telecommunication in the broader sense, it has affected you right now as you are reading this.  The distance between people grows less and less everyday.
197162
You are asking a question about "knowledge" and excluding conscious knowledge of itself.  The form of the question makes it difficult to answer, for it assumes that "the internet" functions as a single organism, like a giant brain.  Just because you can say "the internet" doesn't mean you're talking about a single "being" to which knowledge can be attributed.\n\nHere's another way to think about this issue: Is there any knowledge available on the internet that wasn't placed there intentionally by a human being? That is, can the internet create knowledge, or must its nodes depend upon humans to install the knowledge? Or another  way:  Is a dictionary or encyclopedia "aware" of things?\n\nSome  will argue that human "awareness" is merely a computational  process, including conscious self-awareness.  This seems to make sense, since our studies of brain-damaged people reveal that removal or destruction of brain areas always leads to restrictions in some type of human functioning.  And all the brain consists of is a huge network of nerve cells and their various interconnections, along with a variety of chemical neurotransmitters.  It would seem if a brain can "be aware" of things, then a computer network could, if complex enough and if programmed properly, "be aware" of things.\n\nStill, though, asking if "the internet" is aware is somewhat like asking if a huge population, like the entire population of the world is aware.  It's too big to count as an individual.  And some parts of the internet would be aware of some things, but not others.\n\nAs for your second  question, could machines become self-aware, I think the answer is clearly "yes".
110715
Both!   The internet can be more educational than u think.Books can only teach you so much,the internet has so much more!
756258
I don't see one. But I'll keep my eyes open for good solutions. I believe the WEB has caused gigantic problems in our society. Our youth has suddenly come to the conclusion that having a link to a response somehow 'proves' it's true.
543280
Yes, theoretically its possible to make the computer think. This is called as AI (Artificial Intelligence). However the current technologies are good enough to make machines think within a narrow domain.\n\nYou tell the computer how a human would take a decision. The computer then analyses several such responses and decides the best course of action.
294797
hmmmm good qusetion by the way....\n\nWe are see now that every bit of tecnology is growing closer to gether, PDAs, laptops, phones, Home PCs, Home TV all have a lot in common like OS's, web, wireless etc. its looks like to me that the internet will spread as a funtion over new tecnolgy, allowing us to take our digtel lifes everywere. the internet will be the seemless movment of infomation of this new world, no longer confined to the dark rooms and offices, everything will be at our fingertips. as long as well keep the net open and free!
433329
is that when people are married in the internet world, but not actually in the real world? interesting concept
413036
I lost my pc and all stuff a couple of years ago in a break in.\n\nIt was amazing , how slowly and surely that the PC and cell phone (called a mobile phone in the UK)\n\nTakes over your life.\n\nIts scary to think, we can live our entire life with just ordering stuff on the internet.\n\nWe never need to talk to another living soul again.\n\nBut on the other hand its interesting the way we have communities like yahoo answers to bring more ppl together.
206196
Believe it or not, over the internet
362188
I believe that it is certainly possible, the internet is a big part of what may make it happen because it is getting harder and harder for oppressive govenments to control information (such as China) eventually it will be impossible and people in these govenments will demand to chose how they are governed.
562062
No one person invented the Internet as we know it today. However, certain major figures contributed major breakthroughs: \nLeonard Kleinrock was the first to publish a paper about the idea of packet switching, which is essential to the Internet. He did so in 1961. Packet switching is the idea that packets of data can be "routed" from one place to another based on address information carried in the data, much like the address on a letter. Packet switching replaces the older concept of "circuit switching," in which an actual electrical circuit is established all the way from the source to the destination. Circuit switching was the idea behind traditional telephone exchanges.
642328
I can't tell if there is really a serious question in here or not, but I will answer as if there is.\n\nI think the Internet is causing more people to become anti-social in the real world and more dependent on the (nearly) instant gratification we can get in here...porn, electronics overnight, movies on demand, the list goes on.\n\nAlso, people are starting to become dependent on the "relationships" they form in here in chat rooms and dating sites and spending less time with friends and family.  \n\nBottom line is, people were designed to be social, moving creatures, experiencing new people, sites, tastes and smells. Not sat in one place for hours chatting with total strangers who we know little about.  It's rotting our minds and moderation is the key, just like anything else in life.\n\nWe're all going to hell in a hand basket and the only thing that will stop the downfall of society is if mother nature steps in and takes away the power.  Then we'd be back to hand tools and horses and we'd all know and trust our neighbors a whole lot more.\n\nI'll step off my soap box now...sorry.
75975
Yes, internet has brought the big world to my small room. I can visit many places without spending money on expensive transportation. I can get news and entertainment from anywhere. I can communicate with families and friends anytime. There are so many things to learn and do on internet, including answering this question. The only time I felt internet was bad was when I was hurt by an internet friend, I said words like internet ruined my life. But actually, it's not the internet's fault, it's the users. Life will be boring and back to the small world we had around us long long time ago if there's no internet.