In
the words of one of my favorite teachers, Olumide Emmanuel, “the world is a
global village and the internet is the village square.” That is where the “village
meetings” hold. Just like we go to the market to buy stuffs, so is the internet
to the world today. The difference however, is that with the internet, you
don’t necessarily need to leave where you are to buy whatever it is you want to
buy, for instance, someone could be in Nigeria and make transactions with people
in Japan, US or wherever. The internet
has made things easy, to a large extent, such that someone gets a lot of things
done without leaving a spot.
Although,
the internet has a lot of advantages and benefits to offer, however, the user
is the one who decides what he or she wants to get from the internet, is it
positive or negative use you want to exploit the internet for? I have heard
people say things such as “the internet is bad, the internet is this…and that”.
Whenever I hear such statements, I am quick to ask, are you sure-does the
internet uses itself? I do not believe that the internet is bad. For crying out
loud, it is somebody’s brainchild! And much more a lot of people have used it
to make meaningful and positive impacts across the globe so, why is yours different?
One
of the benefits the internet offers is that it provides relatively cheap and
easy access to personal-development materials. Regardless of the field or
profession you are, there are loads of information you could access online, to
beef up your intellectual bank. In an
interview conducted by gemWoman, Iquo
Ukoh, a renowned female marketing expert, says, “the internet provides
ample opportunities to learn new things and continually improve one’s knowledge
base and skills without necessarily getting into the class rooms”. She adds
that, “today, I am also passing my knowledge across to younger marketers by
writing articles regularly on my LinkedIn profile”.
Ironically,
it is sad to know that a lot of young people go online to waste their time, in
the process they waste away their life unknowingly. Sorry, I’m beginning to
take it personal (smiles) but that’s the truth. It is just like someone who
goes to the market, wanders around the market without any tangible reason. A
market is a place for business thus, it is meant for serious and business
minded people.
I
have benefited a lot from using the internet, as a writer, it has helped me to
expand my reach, develop myself, meet people from different parts of the world,
showcase my creative abilities to the world, reach people I may never see, make
money legitimately, to mention a
few. What you do on the internet
determines what you’d get from it. Like the bible says, “ask and you will receive,
seek and you shall find…”the question then is, what are you seeking on the
internet?
Are
you a business person, do you want to buy or sell your goods? You can publicize
your business on the internet. Whatever you get from the internet is what you
have made up your mind to get. I have been able to reach out to thousands of
people via the internet, I have got a couple of invitations which were
financially rewarding all because of the kind of use I have put the internet
to. As a writer, I have had invitations
to feature on people’s websites both from within and outside Nigeria. I run my
blog (www.bamisaye.wordpress.com)
where I post on Wednesdays and God has really helped me to touch lives,
families etc. through this medium. You can do more than I am doing, if you
really want to. The beauty of the internet is that it is cheap compared to
other means.
I
challenge you, my dear reader, put the internet to better use. You can gain
from the internet if only you are determined enough. You can make use of the
internet to make your voice heard. The bible says, “to him who knows how to do
good and does it not, it is a sin”. Be among those who are making positive
impacts via the internet. See you at the top.
Adeniran Bamisaye
@Dkingzpen
