Internet

== Social impact ==
The Internet has enabled new forms of social interaction, activities, and social associations. This phenomenon has given rise to the scholarly study of the [[sociology of the Internet]].

The early Internet left an impact on some [[writer]]s who used [[symbol]]ism to write about it, such as describing the Internet as a "means to connect individuals in a vast invisible net over all the [[earth]]."<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Carlson |first1=Kathie |title=The Book of Symbols: Reflections on Archetypal Images |last2=Flanagin |first2=Michael N. |last3=Martin |first3=Kathleen |last4=Martin |first4=Mary E. |last5=Mendelsohn |first5=John |last6=Rodgers |first6=Priscilla Young |last7=Ronnberg |first7=Ami |last8=Salman |first8=Sherry |last9=Wesley |first9=Deborah A. |publisher=[[Taschen]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-3-8365-1448-4 |editor-last=Arm |editor-first=Karen |location=Köln |page=518 |editor-last2=Ueda |editor-first2=Kako |editor-last3=Thulin |editor-first3=Anne |editor-last4=Langerak |editor-first4=Allison |editor-last5=Kiley |editor-first5=Timothy Gus |editor-last6=Wolff |editor-first6=Mary}}</ref>

=== Users ===
{{See also|Global Internet usage|English in computing|Languages used on the Internet}}
[[File:Graph depicting share of the population using the Internet.png|thumb|Share of population using the Internet.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ritchie|first1=Hannah|last2=Roser|first2=Max|date=2 October 2017|title=Technology Adoption|url=https://ourworldindata.org/technology-adoption|url-status=live|journal=Our World in Data|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012121855/https://ourworldindata.org/technology-adoption|archive-date=12 October 2019|access-date=12 October 2019}}</ref> [[c:Data:Share of population using the Internet.tab|Source data]]. <!-- Using image for now due to logspam generated by this graph. See https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T277903. Graph can be restored when underlying issue fixed. -->]]
[[File:Internet users for 100 people by GDP per capita.svg|alt=A scatter plot showing Internet usage per capita versus GDP per capita. It shows Internet usage increasing with GDP.|thumb|Internet users per 100 population members and [[GDP]] per capita for selected countries]]
[[File:Internet users per 100 inhabitants ITU.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|<div style="text-align: center">'''Internet users per 100 inhabitants'''</div><small>Source: [[International Telecommunication Union]].</small><ref>[http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2014/ITU_Key_2005-2014_ICT_data.xls "Individuals using the Internet 2005 to 2014"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528031339/http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2014/ITU_Key_2005-2014_ICT_data.xls |date=28 May 2015 }}, Key ICT indicators for developed and developing countries and the world (totals and penetration rates), International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 25 May 2015.</ref><ref>[http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/ict/ "Internet users per 100 inhabitants 1997 to 2007"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517033104/http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/ict/ |date=17 May 2015 }}, ICT Data and Statistics (IDS), International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 25 May 2015.</ref>]]

Between 2000 and 2009, the number of Internet users globally rose from 390&nbsp;million to 1.9&nbsp;billion.<ref>[https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/ Internet users graphs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509175322/https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx |date=9 May 2020 }}, Market Information and Statistics, International Telecommunication Union</ref> By 2010, 22% of the world's population had access to computers with 1&nbsp;billion [[Google]] searches every day, 300&nbsp;million Internet users reading blogs, and 2&nbsp;billion videos viewed daily on [[YouTube]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/71940/google-earth-demonstrates-how-technology-benefits-ris-civil-society-govt |title=Google Earth demonstrates how technology benefits RI's civil society, govt |publisher=Antara News |date=26 May 2011 |access-date=19 November 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029074528/http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/71940/google-earth-demonstrates-how-technology-benefits-ris-civil-society-govt |archive-date=29 October 2012 }}</ref> In 2014 the world's Internet users surpassed 3&nbsp;billion or 44 percent of world population, but two-thirds came from the richest countries, with 78 percent of Europeans using the Internet, followed by 57 percent of the Americas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2014/11/25/3-billion-internet-users/ |title=There are now 3 billion Internet users, mostly in rich countries |author=Steve Dent |date=25 November 2014 |access-date=25 November 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128020032/http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/25/3-billion-internet-users/ |archive-date=28 November 2014 }}</ref> However, by 2018, Asia alone accounted for 51% of all Internet users, with 2.2&nbsp;billion out of the 4.3&nbsp;billion Internet users in the world. China's Internet users surpassed a major milestone in 2018, when the country's Internet regulatory authority, China Internet Network Information Centre, announced that China had 802&nbsp;million users.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cnnic.com.cn/IDR/ReportDownloads/201807/P020180711391069195909.pdf|website=Cnnic.com|title=Statistical Report on Internet Development in China|date=January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412062935/https://cnnic.com.cn/IDR/ReportDownloads/201807/P020180711391069195909.pdf|archive-date=12 April 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> China was followed by India, with some 700&nbsp;million users, with the United States third with 275&nbsp;million users. However, in terms of penetration, in 2022 China had a 70% penetration rate compared to India's 60% and the United States's 90%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm|title=World Internet Users Statistics and 2019 World Population Stats|website=internetworldstats.com|access-date=17 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171124192836/http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm|archive-date=24 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, 54% of the world's Internet users were based in Asia, 14% in Europe, 7% in North America, 10% in Latin America and the [[Caribbean]], 11% in Africa, 4% in the Middle East and 1% in Oceania.<ref name=inetstats>{{cite web|url=http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm|title=World Internet Usage Statistics News and Population Stats|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319013935/http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm|archive-date=19 March 2017|date=30 June 2023|access-date=14 December 2023}}</ref><!-- Note that the use of these copyright statistics is dependent on "giving due credit and establishing an active link back to www.internetworldstats.com", so please do not remove the citation above --> In 2019, Kuwait, Qatar, the Falkland Islands, Bermuda and Iceland had the highest [[List of countries by number of Internet users|Internet penetration by the number of users]], with 93% or more of the population with access.<ref name=ITU-IndividualsUsingTheInternet>[http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2013/Individuals_Internet_2000-2012.xls "Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000–2012"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209141641/http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2013/Individuals_Internet_2000-2012.xls |date=9 February 2014 }}, International Telecommunication Union (Geneva), June 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.</ref> As of 2022, it was estimated that 5.4&nbsp;billion people use the Internet, more than two-thirds of the world's population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm|title=World Internet Users Statistics and 2023 World Population Stats|website=Internet World Stats |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319110853/https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm |archive-date= Mar 19, 2024 }}</ref>

The prevalent language for communication via the Internet has always been English. This may be a result of the origin of the Internet, as well as the language's role as a [[lingua franca]] and as a [[world language]]. Early computer systems were limited to the characters in the [[ASCII|American Standard Code for Information Interchange]] (ASCII), a subset of the [[Latin alphabet]]. After English (27%), the most requested languages on the World Wide Web are Chinese (25%), Spanish (8%), Japanese (5%), Portuguese and German (4% each), Arabic, French and Russian (3% each), and Korean (2%).<ref name="NIUBL-IWS" /><!-- Note that the use of these copyright statistics is dependent on "giving due credit and establishing an active link back to www.internetworldstats.com", so please do not remove the citation above --> The Internet's technologies have developed enough in recent years, especially in the use of [[Unicode]], that good facilities are available for development and communication in the world's widely used languages. However, some glitches such as ''[[mojibake]]'' (incorrect display of some languages' characters) still remain.

In a US study in 2005, the percentage of men using the Internet was very slightly ahead of the percentage of women, although this difference reversed in those under 30. Men logged on more often, spent more time online, and were more likely to be broadband users, whereas women tended to make more use of opportunities to communicate (such as email). Men were more likely to use the Internet to pay bills, participate in auctions, and for recreation such as downloading music and videos. Men and women were equally likely to use the Internet for shopping and banking.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fallows |first=Deborah |date=2005-12-28 |title=How Women and Men Use the Internet |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2005/12/28/how-women-and-men-use-the-internet/ |website=Pew Research Center |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230608191432/https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2005/12/28/how-women-and-men-use-the-internet/ |archive-date= Jun 8, 2023 }}</ref> In 2008, women significantly outnumbered men on most social networking services, such as Facebook and Myspace, although the ratios varied with age.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://business.rapleaf.com/company_press_2008_07_29.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320211742/http://business.rapleaf.com/company_press_2008_07_29.html|archive-date=20 March 2009 |title=Rapleaf Study Reveals Gender and Age Data of Social Network Users |website=Rapleaf  |date=July 29, 2008 }}</ref> Women watched more streaming content, whereas men downloaded more.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/178175272.html |title=Women Ahead of Men in Online Tv, Dvr, Games, And Social Media. |publisher=Entrepreneur |date=1 May 2008 |access-date=8 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916094836/http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/178175272.html |archive-date=16 September 2008 }}</ref> Men were more likely to blog. Among those who blog, men were more likely to have a professional blog, whereas women were more likely to have a personal blog.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/ |title= State of the Blogosphere |publisher=Technorati |access-date=8 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002101707/http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/ |archive-date=2 October 2009 }}</ref>

Several neologisms exist that refer to Internet users: [[Netizen]] (as in "citizen of the net")<ref>{{cite book|last1=Seese|first1=Michael|isbn=978-1-60005-132-6|page=130|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3noNR3IfSpgC&q=citizen+of+the+net&pg=PA130|title=Scrappy Information Security|access-date=5 June 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905151414/https://books.google.com/books?id=3noNR3IfSpgC&pg=PA130&lpg=PA130&dq=citizen+of+the+net|archive-date=5 September 2017|year=2009|publisher=Happy About }}</ref> refers to those [[online participation|actively involved]] in improving [[virtual community|online communities]], the Internet in general or surrounding political affairs and rights such as [[Freedom of speech#The Internet and information society|free speech]],<ref>"[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/netizen netizen]", Dictionary.com. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421223939/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/netizen |date=21 April 2012 }}.</ref><ref name=Hauben>{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/ch106.x01|title=The Net and Netizens|first=Michael|last=Hauben |date=June 5, 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604214312/http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/ch106.x01|archive-date=4 June 2011|publisher=Columbia University}}</ref> [[Internaut]] refers to operators or technically highly capable users of the Internet,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml|title=A Brief History of the Internet |date=10 Dec 2003 |first1=B M. |last1=Leiner |first2=V G. |last2=Cerf |first3=D D. |last3=Clark |first4=R E. |last4=Kahn |first5=L |last5=Kleinrock |first6=D C. |last6=Lynch |first7=J |last7=Postel |first8=L G. |last8=Roberts |first9=S |last9=Wolff |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604153304/http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml|archive-date=4 June 2007|website=the Internet Society}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= internaut |url=https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/internaut |website=Oxford Dictionaries |access-date=6 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613002443/https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/internaut |archive-date=13 June 2015 }}</ref> [[digital citizen]] refers to a person using the Internet in order to engage in society, politics, and government participation.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Karen|last1=Mossberger|title=Digital Citizenship – The Internet, Society and Participation|first2=Caroline J.|last2=Tolbert|first3=Ramona S.|last3=McNeal|year=2011|publisher=SPIE Press |isbn=978-0-8194-5606-9}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="300px">
InternetUsersByLanguagePieChart.svg|<div style="text-align: center">'''[[Languages used on the Internet|Internet users by language]]'''<ref name=NIUBL-IWS>{{cite web|url=http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm|title=Top Ten Internet Languages |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426122721/http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm|archive-date=26 April 2012|website=Internet World Stats, Miniwatts Marketing Group|date=18 March 2012 |access-date=22 April 2012}}</ref></div>
WebsitesByLanguagePieChart.svg|<div style="text-align: center">'''[[Languages used on the Internet|Website content languages]]'''<ref name=UofCLBWApril2013>{{cite web|title=Usage of content languages for websites|url=http://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_language/all|work=W3Techs|access-date=26 April 2013|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/66ZQzUXh6?url=http://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_language/all|archive-date=31 March 2012|url-status=live}}</ref></div>
</gallery>

=== Usage ===
[[File:InternetPenetrationWorldMap.svg|thumb|360px|<div style="text-align: center">'''[[List of countries by number of Internet users|Internet users in 2015 as a percentage of a country's population]]'''</div>Source: [[International Telecommunication Union]].<ref name=ITU-IndividualsUsingTheInternet/>]]
{{Main|Global digital divide|Digital divide}}

[[File:FixedBroadbandInternetPenetrationWorldMap.svg|thumb |360px |<div style="text-align: center">'''[[List of countries by number of broadband Internet subscriptions|Fixed broadband Internet subscriptions in 2012]]<br />as a percentage of a country's population'''</div>Source: [[International Telecommunication Union]].<ref name="FixedBroadbandITUDynamic2012">[http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Reporting/DynamicReportWizard.aspx "Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726064920/http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Reporting/DynamicReportWizard.aspx |date=26 July 2019 }}, Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, [[International Telecommunication Union]]. Retrieved 29 June 2013.</ref>]]

[[File:MobileBroadbandInternetPenetrationWorldMap 2013.svg|thumb |360px |<div style="text-align: center">'''[[List of countries by number of broadband Internet subscriptions|Mobile broadband Internet subscriptions in 2012]]<br />as a percentage of a country's population'''</div>Source: [[International Telecommunication Union]].<ref name="MobleBroadbandITUDynamic2012">[http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Reporting/DynamicReportWizard.aspx "Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726064920/http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Reporting/DynamicReportWizard.aspx |date=26 July 2019 }}, Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, [[International Telecommunication Union]]. Retrieved 29 June 2013.</ref>]]
The Internet allows greater flexibility in working hours and location, especially with the spread of unmetered high-speed connections. The Internet can be accessed almost anywhere by numerous means, including through [[mobile Internet device]]s. Mobile phones, [[datacard]]s, [[handheld game console]]s and [[cellular router]]s allow users to connect to the Internet [[wireless]]ly. Within the limitations imposed by small screens and other limited facilities of such pocket-sized devices, the services of the Internet, including email and the web, may be available. Service providers may restrict the services offered and mobile data charges may be significantly higher than other access methods.

Educational material at all levels from pre-school to post-doctoral is available from websites. Examples range from [[CBeebies]], through school and high-school revision guides and [[Virtual university|virtual universities]], to access to top-end scholarly literature through the likes of [[Google Scholar]]. For [[distance education]], help with [[homework]] and other assignments, self-guided learning, whiling away spare time or just looking up more detail on an interesting fact, it has never been easier for people to access educational information at any level from anywhere. The Internet in general and the World Wide Web in particular are important enablers of both [[Education|formal]] and [[informal education]]. Further, the Internet allows researchers (especially those from the social and behavioral sciences) to conduct research remotely via virtual laboratories, with profound changes in reach and generalizability of findings as well as in communication between scientists and in the publication of results.<ref>{{cite book|last=Reips|first=U.-D.|year=2008|chapter=How Internet-mediated research changes science|url=http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/psychology/social-psychology/psychological-aspects-cyberspace-theory-research-applications|title=Psychological aspects of cyberspace: Theory, research, applications|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809235408/http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/psychology/social-psychology/psychological-aspects-cyberspace-theory-research-applications|archive-date=9 August 2014|pages=268–294|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-69464-3}}</ref>

The low cost and nearly instantaneous sharing of ideas, knowledge, and skills have made [[collaboration|collaborative]] work dramatically easier, with the help of [[collaborative software]]. Not only can a group cheaply communicate and share ideas but the wide reach of the Internet allows such groups more easily to form. An example of this is the [[free software movement]], which has produced, among other things, [[Linux]], [[Mozilla Firefox]], and [[OpenOffice.org]] (later forked into [[LibreOffice]]). Internet chat, whether using an [[IRC]] chat room, an [[instant messaging]] system, or a social networking service, allows colleagues to stay in touch in a very convenient way while working at their computers during the day. Messages can be exchanged even more quickly and conveniently than via email. These systems may allow files to be exchanged, drawings and images to be shared, or voice and video contact between team members.

[[Content management]] systems allow collaborating teams to work on shared sets of documents simultaneously without accidentally destroying each other's work. Business and project teams can share calendars as well as documents and other information. Such collaboration occurs in a wide variety of areas including scientific research, software development, conference planning, political activism and creative writing. Social and political collaboration is also becoming more widespread as both Internet access and [[computer literacy]] spread.

The Internet allows computer users to remotely access other computers and information stores easily from any access point. Access may be with [[computer security]], i.e. authentication and encryption technologies, depending on the requirements. This is encouraging new ways of [[remote work]], collaboration and information sharing in many industries. An accountant sitting at home can [[audit]] the books of a company based in another country, on a server situated in a third country that is remotely maintained by IT specialists in a fourth. These accounts could have been created by home-working bookkeepers, in other remote locations, based on information emailed to them from offices all over the world. Some of these things were possible before the widespread use of the Internet, but the cost of private [[leased line]]s would have made many of them infeasible in practice. An office worker away from their desk, perhaps on the other side of the world on a business trip or a holiday, can access their emails, access their data using [[cloud computing]], or open a [[Remote Desktop Protocol|remote desktop]] session into their office PC using a secure [[virtual private network]] (VPN) connection on the Internet. This can give the worker complete access to all of their normal files and data, including email and other applications, while away from the office. It has been referred to among [[system administrator]]s as the Virtual Private Nightmare,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Virtual Private Nightmare: VPN |url=http://librenix.com/?inode=5013 |publisher=Librenix |access-date=21 July 2010 |date=4 August 2004 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515152637/http://librenix.com/?inode=5013 |archive-date=15 May 2011 }}</ref> because it extends the secure perimeter of a corporate network into remote locations and its employees' homes.

By late 2010s Internet has been described as "the main source of scientific information "for the majority of the global North population".<ref>{{cite book|author1=Dariusz Jemielniak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yLDMDwAAQBAJ|title=Collaborative Society|author2=Aleksandra Przegalinska|year= 2020|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-35645-9|access-date=26 November 2020|archive-date=23 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123045652/https://books.google.com/books?id=yLDMDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|111}}

=== Social networking and entertainment ===
{{See also|Social networking service#Social impact}}
Many people use the World Wide Web to access news, weather and sports reports, to plan and book vacations and to pursue their personal interests. People use [[online chat|chat]], messaging and email to make and stay in touch with friends worldwide, sometimes in the same way as some previously had [[pen pal]]s. Social networking services such as [[Facebook]] have created new ways to socialize and interact. Users of these sites are able to add a wide variety of information to pages, pursue common interests, and connect with others. It is also possible to find existing acquaintances, to allow communication among existing groups of people. Sites like [[LinkedIn]] foster commercial and business connections. YouTube and [[Flickr]] specialize in users' videos and photographs. Social networking services are also widely used by businesses and other organizations to promote their brands, to market to their customers and to encourage posts to "[[Viral marketing|go viral]]". "Black hat" social media techniques are also employed by some organizations, such as [[Spamming|spam]] accounts and [[astroturfing]].

A risk for both individuals and organizations writing posts (especially public posts) on social networking services, is that especially foolish or controversial posts occasionally lead to an unexpected and possibly large-scale backlash on social media from other Internet users. This is also a risk in relation to controversial ''offline'' behavior, if it is widely made known. The nature of this backlash can range widely from counter-arguments and public mockery, through insults and [[hate speech]], to, in extreme cases, rape and death [[Computer crime#Online harassment|threats]]. The [[online disinhibition effect]] describes the tendency of many individuals to behave more stridently or offensively online than they would in person. A significant number of [[feminist]] women have been the target of various forms of [[harassment]] in response to posts they have made on social media, and Twitter in particular has been criticised in the past for not doing enough to aid victims of online abuse.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23477130 |title=Twitter 'report abuse' button calls after rape threats |last=Moore |first=Keith |date=27 July 2013 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=7 December 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904014545/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23477130 |archive-date=4 September 2014 }}</ref>

For organizations, such a backlash can cause overall [[public relations|brand damage]], especially if reported by the media. However, this is not always the case, as any brand damage in the eyes of people with an opposing opinion to that presented by the organization could sometimes be outweighed by strengthening the brand in the eyes of others. Furthermore, if an organization or individual gives in to demands that others perceive as wrong-headed, that can then provoke a counter-backlash.

Some websites, such as [[Reddit]], have rules forbidding the posting of [[personal information]] of individuals (also known as [[doxxing]]), due to concerns about such postings leading to mobs of large numbers of Internet users directing harassment at the specific individuals thereby identified. In particular, the Reddit rule forbidding the posting of personal information is widely understood to imply that all identifying photos and names must be [[censored]] in Facebook [[screenshots]] posted to Reddit. However, the interpretation of this rule in relation to public Twitter posts is less clear, and in any case, like-minded people online have many other ways they can use to direct each other's attention to public social media posts they disagree with.

Children also face dangers online such as [[cyberbullying]] and [[Child grooming|approaches by sexual predators]], who sometimes pose as children themselves. Children may also encounter material that they may find upsetting, or material that their parents consider to be not age-appropriate. Due to naivety, they may also post personal information about themselves online, which could put them or their families at risk unless warned not to do so. Many parents choose to enable [[Content-control software|Internet filtering]] or supervise their children's online activities in an attempt to protect their children from inappropriate material on the Internet. The most popular social networking services, such as Facebook and Twitter, commonly forbid users under the age of 13. However, these policies are typically trivial to circumvent by registering an account with a false birth date, and a significant number of children aged under 13 join such sites anyway. Social networking services for younger children, which claim to provide better levels of protection for children, also exist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2010/10/11/social-networks-children/ |title=5 Fun and Safe Social Networks for Children |date=11 October 2010 |access-date=7 December 2014 |website=[[Mashable]] |last=Kessler |first=Sarah |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220082237/http://mashable.com/2010/10/11/social-networks-children/ |archive-date=20 December 2014 }}</ref>

The Internet has been a major outlet for leisure activity since its inception, with entertaining [[social experiment]]s such as [[Multi-user dungeon|MUD]]s and [[MOO]]s being conducted on university servers, and humor-related [[Usenet]] groups receiving much traffic.<ref name="StudFiles">{{Cite web |title=Communication in our life |url=https://studfile.net/preview/2987063/ |access-date=2023-05-16 |website=StudFiles |language=ru}}</ref> Many [[Internet forums]] have sections devoted to games and funny videos.<ref name="StudFiles" /> The [[Internet pornography]] and [[online gambling]] industries have taken advantage of the World Wide Web. Although many governments have attempted to restrict both industries' use of the Internet, in general, this has failed to stop their widespread popularity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/SmallBiz/story?id=4151592|title=Do It Yourself! Amateur Porn Stars Make Bank|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230075056/https://abcnews.go.com/Business/SmallBiz/story?id=4151592 |archive-date=30 December 2011|first=Russell|last=Goldman|website=ABC News|date=22 January 2008}}</ref>

Another area of leisure activity on the Internet is [[multiplayer gaming]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://internetgames.about.com/od/gamingnews/a/trendsdecade.htm|title=Top Online Game Trends of the Decade|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929074221/http://internetgames.about.com/od/gamingnews/a/trendsdecade.htm |archive-date=29 September 2011|first=Dave|last=Spohn|website=About.com|date=15 December 2009}}</ref> This form of recreation creates communities, where people of all ages and origins enjoy the fast-paced world of multiplayer games. These range from [[MMORPG]] to [[first-person shooter]]s, from [[role-playing video game]]s to [[online gambling]]. While online gaming has been around since the 1970s, modern modes of online gaming began with subscription services such as [[GameSpy Arcade|GameSpy]] and [[MPlayer.com|MPlayer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://internetgames.about.com/od/gamingnews/a/timeline.htm|title=Internet Game Timeline: 1963–2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060425091409/http://internetgames.about.com/od/gamingnews/a/timeline.htm|archive-date=25 April 2006|first=Dave|last=Spohn|website=About.com|date=2 June 2011}}</ref> Non-subscribers were limited to certain types of game play or certain games. Many people use the Internet to access and download music, movies and other works for their enjoyment and relaxation. Free and fee-based services exist for all of these activities, using centralized servers and distributed peer-to-peer technologies. Some of these sources exercise more care with respect to the original artists' copyrights than others.

Internet usage has been correlated to users' loneliness.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Carole Hughes |author2=Boston College |url=https://www2.bc.edu/~hughesc/abstract.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107031736/https://www2.bc.edu/~hughesc/abstract.html |archive-date=7 November 2015 |title=The Relationship Between Internet Use and Loneliness Among College Students |publisher=Boston College |access-date=11 August 2011}}</ref> Lonely people tend to use the Internet as an outlet for their feelings and to share their stories with others, such as in the "[[I am lonely will anyone speak to me]]" thread.

A 2017 book claimed that the Internet consolidates most aspects of human endeavor into singular arenas of which all of humanity are potential members and competitors, with fundamentally negative [[Digital media use and mental health|impacts on mental health]] as a result. While successes in each field of activity are pervasively visible and trumpeted, they are reserved for an extremely thin sliver of the world's most exceptional, leaving everyone else behind. Whereas, before the Internet, expectations of success in any field were supported by reasonable probabilities of achievement at the village, suburb, city or even state level, the same expectations in the Internet world are virtually certain to bring disappointment today: there is always someone else, somewhere on the planet, who can do better and take the now one-and-only top spot.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barker|first=Eric|title=Barking Up the Wrong Tree|publisher=HarperCollins|date=2017|isbn=978-0-06-241604-9|pages=235–236}}</ref>

[[Cybersectarianism]] is a new organizational form that involves, "highly dispersed small groups of practitioners that may remain largely anonymous within the larger social context and operate in relative secrecy, while still linked remotely to a larger network of believers who share a set of practices and texts, and often a common devotion to a particular leader. Overseas supporters provide funding and support; domestic practitioners distribute tracts, participate in acts of resistance, and share information on the internal situation with outsiders. Collectively, members and practitioners of such sects construct viable virtual communities of faith, exchanging personal testimonies and engaging in the collective study via email, online chat rooms, and web-based message boards."<ref>{{cite book|first=Patricia M.|last=Thornton|chapter=The New Cybersects: Resistance and Repression in the Reform era|editor1-first=Elizabeth |editor1-last=Perry|editor2-first=Mark|editor2-last=Selden|title=Chinese Society: Change, Conflict and Resistance|edition=2|location=London and New York|publisher=Routledge|year=2003|pages=149–150|isbn=978-0-415-56074-0}}</ref> In particular, the British government has raised concerns about the prospect of young British Muslims being indoctrinated into Islamic extremism by material on the Internet, being persuaded to join [[terrorist]] groups such as the so-called "[[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Islamic State]]", and then potentially committing acts of terrorism on returning to Britain after fighting in Syria or Iraq.

[[Cyberslacking]] can become a drain on corporate resources; the average UK employee spent 57 minutes a day surfing the Web while at work, according to a 2003 study by Peninsula Business Services.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/net-abuse-hits-small-city-firms-1-892163 |title=Net abuse hits small city firms |work=The Scotsman |date=11 September 2003 |access-date=7 August 2009 |location=Edinburgh |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020041820/http://www.scotsman.com/news/net-abuse-hits-small-city-firms-1-892163 |archive-date=20 October 2012 }}</ref> [[Internet addiction disorder]] is excessive computer use that interferes with daily life. [[Nicholas G. Carr]] believes that Internet use has other [[Psychological effects of Internet use|effects on individuals]], for instance improving skills of scan-reading and [[Interference theory|interfering]] with the deep thinking that leads to true creativity.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/shallowswhatinte0000carr/page/276|title=The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains|first=Nicholas G.|last=Carr|author-link=Nicholas G. Carr|publisher=W.W. Norton|year=2010|page=[https://archive.org/details/shallowswhatinte0000carr/page/276 276]|isbn=978-0-393-07222-8}}</ref>

=== Electronic business ===
[[Electronic business]] (''e-business'') encompasses business processes spanning the entire [[value chain]]: purchasing, [[supply chain management]], [[marketing]], [[sales]], [[customer]] service, and business relationship. [[E-commerce]] seeks to add revenue streams using the Internet to build and enhance relationships with clients and partners. According to [[International Data Corporation]], the size of worldwide e-commerce, when global business-to-business and -consumer transactions are combined, equate to $16&nbsp;trillion for 2013. A report by Oxford Economics added those two together to estimate the total size of the [[digital economy]] at $20.4&nbsp;trillion, equivalent to roughly 13.8% of global sales.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myclouddoor.com/web/documents/The%20New%20Digital%20Economy.pdf|title=The New Digital Economy: How it will transform business|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706101452/http://www.myclouddoor.com/web/documents/The%20New%20Digital%20Economy.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2014|website=Oxford Economics|date=2 July 2011}}</ref>

While much has been written of the economic advantages of [[electronic commerce|Internet-enabled commerce]], there is also evidence that some aspects of the Internet such as maps and location-aware services may serve to reinforce [[economic inequality]] and the [[digital divide]].<ref>{{cite web |title=How the Internet Reinforces Inequality in the Real World |work=The Atlantic |author=Badger, Emily |date=6 February 2013 |access-date=13 February 2013 |url=http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2013/02/how-internet-reinforces-inequality-real-world/4602/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211095334/http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2013/02/how-internet-reinforces-inequality-real-world/4602/ |archive-date=11 February 2013 }}</ref> Electronic commerce may be responsible for [[Consolidation (business)|consolidation]] and the decline of [[mom-and-pop]], [[brick and mortar]] businesses resulting in increases in [[income inequality]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zdnet.com/e-commerce-will-make-the-shopping-mall-a-retail-wasteland-7000009960/|title=E-commerce will make the shopping mall a retail wasteland|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130219011301/http://www.zdnet.com/e-commerce-will-make-the-shopping-mall-a-retail-wasteland-7000009960/|archive-date=19 February 2013|website=ZDNet|date=17 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Press_Releases/2012/12/Free_Shipping_Day_Promotion_Spurs_Late-Season_Online_Spending_Surge|title='Free Shipping Day' Promotion Spurs Late-Season Online Spending Surge, Improving Season-to-Date Growth Rate to 16 Percent vs. Year Ago|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128191411/http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Press_Releases/2012/12/Free_Shipping_Day_Promotion_Spurs_Late-Season_Online_Spending_Surge |archive-date=28 January 2013|website=Comscore|date=23 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/12/death-american-shopping-mall/4252/|title=The Death of the American Shopping Mall|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215044619/http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/12/death-american-shopping-mall/4252/ |archive-date=15 February 2013|website=The Atlantic – Cities|date=26 December 2012}}</ref>

Author [[Andrew Keen]], a long-time critic of the social transformations caused by the Internet, has focused on the economic effects of consolidation from Internet businesses. Keen cites a 2013 [[Institute for Local Self-Reliance]] report saying brick-and-mortar retailers employ 47 people for every $10&nbsp;million in sales while Amazon employs only 14. Similarly, the 700-employee room rental start-up [[Airbnb]] was valued at $10&nbsp;billion in 2014, about half as much as [[Hilton Worldwide]], which employs 152,000 people. At that time, [[Uber]] employed 1,000 full-time employees and was valued at $18.2&nbsp;billion, about the same valuation as [[Avis Rent a Car]] and [[The Hertz Corporation]] combined, which together employed almost 60,000 people.<ref>{{cite news| last1=Harris |first1=Michael |title=Book review: 'The Internet Is Not the Answer' by Andrew Keen |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/book-review-the-internet-is-not-the-answer-by-andrew-keen/2015/01/02/8627999a-7973-11e4-9a27-6fdbc612bff8_story.html |access-date=25 January 2015 |newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2 January 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120000258/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/book-review-the-internet-is-not-the-answer-by-andrew-keen/2015/01/02/8627999a-7973-11e4-9a27-6fdbc612bff8_story.html |archive-date=20 January 2015 }}</ref>

===Remote work===
[[Remote work]] is facilitated by tools such as [[groupware]], [[virtual private networks]], [[conference calling]], [[videotelephony]], and VoIP so that work may be performed from any location, most conveniently the worker's home. It can be efficient and useful for companies as it allows workers to communicate over long distances, saving significant amounts of travel time and cost. More workers have adequate bandwidth at home to use these tools to link their home to their corporate [[intranet]] and internal communication networks.

=== Collaborative publishing ===
[[Wiki]]s have also been used in the academic community for sharing and dissemination of information across institutional and international boundaries.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1142215.1142259|title=New Interfaces For Musical Expression|isbn=978-2-84426-314-8|author1=MM Wanderley |author2=D Birnbaum |author3=J Malloch |year=2006|publisher=IRCAM – Centre Pompidou|page=180}}</ref> In those settings, they have been found useful for collaboration on [[grant writing]], [[strategic planning]], departmental documentation, and committee work.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Putting Wikis to Work in Libraries|author=Nancy T. Lombardo|s2cid=11552140|volume=27|issue=2|date=June 2008|journal=Medical Reference Services Quarterly|pages=129–145|doi=10.1080/02763860802114223|pmid=18844087}}</ref> The [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]] uses a wiki to allow the public to collaborate on finding [[prior art]] relevant to examination of pending patent applications. [[Queens]], New York has used a wiki to allow citizens to collaborate on the design and planning of a local park.<ref name="Noveck">{{cite journal|title=Wikipedia and the Future of Legal Education |author=Noveck, Beth Simone |journal=Journal of Legal Education |volume=57 |issue=1 |url=http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/jled57&div=8&id=&page= |date=March 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703005842/http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals%2Fjled57&div=8&id=&page= |archive-date=3 July 2014 }}{{subscription required}}</ref> The [[English Wikipedia]] has the largest user base among wikis on the World Wide Web<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://s23.org/wikistats/largest_html.php?sort=users_desc&th=8000&lines=500 |title=WikiStats by S23 |access-date=7 April 2007 |publisher=S23Wiki |date=3 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825164715/http://s23.org/wikistats/largest_html.php?sort=users_desc&th=8000&lines=500 |archive-date=25 August 2014}}</ref> and ranks in the top 10 among all sites in terms of traffic.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.alexa.com/topsites |title=Alexa Web Search – Top 500 |access-date=2 March 2015 |publisher=[[Alexa Internet]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302173920/http://www.alexa.com/topsites |archive-date=2 March 2015 }}</ref>

=== Politics and political revolutions ===
{{See also|Internet censorship|Mass surveillance|Social media use in politics}}
[[File:Thai-coup-detat-2014-social-media-banner.jpg|thumb|right|Banner in [[Bangkok]] during the [[2014 Thai coup d'état]], informing the [[Thailand|Thai]] public that 'like' or 'share' activities on social media could result in imprisonment (observed 30 June 2014)]]
The Internet has achieved new relevance as a political tool. The presidential campaign of [[Howard Dean]] in 2004 in the United States was notable for its success in soliciting donation via the Internet. Many political groups use the Internet to achieve a new method of organizing for carrying out their mission, having given rise to [[Internet activism]].<ref name=cascading>{{cite web|url=http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/the-cascading-effects-of-the-arab-spring-28575/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227051329/http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/the-cascading-effects-of-the-arab-spring-28575/ |archive-date=27 February 2011 |title=The Arab Uprising's Cascading Effects |publisher=Miller-mccune.com |date=23 February 2011 |access-date=27 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etd.ceu.hu/2011/chokoshvili_davit.pdf|title=The Role of the Internet in Democratic Transition: Case Study of the Arab Spring|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705155248/http://www.etd.ceu.hu/2011/chokoshvili_davit.pdf|archive-date=2012-07-05|date=5 July 2012 }}, Davit Chokoshvili, Master's Thesis, June 2011</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' suggested that [[social media]] websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, helped people organize the political revolutions in Egypt, by helping activists organize protests, communicate grievances, and disseminate information.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/world/middleeast/10youth.html |work=The New York Times |first=David D. |last=Kirkpatrick |title=Wired and Shrewd, Young Egyptians Guide Revolt |date=9 February 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129225903/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/world/middleeast/10youth.html |archive-date=29 January 2017 }}</ref>

Many have understood the Internet as an extension of the [[Jürgen Habermas|Habermasian]] notion of the ''[[public sphere]]'', observing how network communication technologies provide something like a global civic forum. However, incidents of politically motivated [[Internet censorship]] have now been recorded in many countries, including western democracies.<ref name="DeibertPalfreyRohozinski2008">{{cite book | author1 = Ronald Deibert | author2 = John Palfrey | author3 = Rafal Rohozinski | author4 = Jonathan Zittrain |year=2008 | title = Access Denied: The Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering | publisher = MIT Press | pages = | isbn = 978-0-262-29072-2 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=l6ry0NeJ1N8C}}</ref><ref name="DiamondPlattner2012">{{cite book | author1 = Larry Diamond | author2 = Marc F. Plattner | year= 2012 | title = Liberation Technology: Social Media and the Struggle for Democracy | publisher = JHU Press | pages = | isbn = 978-1-4214-0568-1 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xhwFEF9HD2sC}}</ref>

[[E-government]] is the use of [[Information and communications technology|technological communications]] devices, such as the Internet, to provide [[public service]]s to citizens and other persons in a country or region. E-government offers opportunities for more direct and convenient citizen access to government<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Manoharan |first1=Aroon P. |last2=Melitski |first2=James |last3=Holzer |first3=Marc |date=2022-01-20 |title=Digital Governance: An Assessment of Performance and Best Practices |journal=Public Organization Review |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=265–283 |language=en |doi=10.1007/s11115-021-00584-8 |issn=1573-7098 |pmc=8769785}}</ref> and for government provision of services directly to citizens.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the City|last=Caves|first=R. W.|publisher=Routledge|year=2004|page=180}}</ref>

=== Philanthropy ===
The spread of low-cost Internet access in developing countries has opened up new possibilities for [[Social peer-to-peer processes|peer-to-peer]] charities, which allow individuals to contribute small amounts to charitable projects for other individuals. Websites, such as [[DonorsChoose]] and [[GlobalGiving]], allow small-scale donors to direct funds to individual projects of their choice. A popular twist on Internet-based philanthropy is the use of [[peer-to-peer lending]] for charitable purposes. [[Kiva (organization)|Kiva]] pioneered this concept in 2005, offering the first web-based service to publish individual loan profiles for funding. Kiva raises funds for local intermediary [[microfinance]] organizations that post stories and updates on behalf of the borrowers. Lenders can contribute as little as $25 to loans of their choice and receive their money back as borrowers repay. Kiva falls short of being a pure peer-to-peer charity, in that loans are disbursed before being funded by lenders and borrowers do not communicate with lenders themselves.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.cgdev.org/open_book/2009/10/kiva-is-not-quite-what-it-seems.php|title=Kiva Is Not Quite What It Seems|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210045011/http://blogs.cgdev.org/open_book/2009/10/kiva-is-not-quite-what-it-seems.php|archive-date=10 February 2010|first=David|last=Roodman|website=Center for Global Development|date=2 October 2009|access-date=16 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Strom |first=Stephanie |title=Confusion on Where Money Lent via Kiva Goes |work=The New York Times |page=6 |date=9 November 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/business/global/09kiva.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129225155/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/business/global/09kiva.html |archive-date=29 January 2017 }}</ref>