Is Internet access a luxury or a necessity?

[NNN0LHI]

This isn't for people who need their home internet access at home to provide an income. Job, Ebay, whatever. This is for people who only use it for hobby, bill paying, whatever.

So what is it. Luxury or a necessity?

Don

[iamthebandfanman]

1. gosh i dunno

i guess a luxury..
tho i think id lose my mind without it so... it might be a necessity after all... but then again if the internet had never exsisted, i wouldnt need it so bad ;)

[TomInTib]

2. A necessity.

There is no other source for porn in our little Town.

[sammythecat]

42. I got a tip if you ever lose your access.

Back in the early 60's us kids used to go to a nearby landfill and root around for porn. Fragments of magazines like Stag, Swank, and even some playboys, but mostly just grainy b/w photos of a topless Brigitte Bardot and stuff like that.

Something to keep in the back of your mind just in case.

[Skittles]

47. that sounds un-hygienic beyond belief

:puke:

[donheld]

51. When guys are thinking with that head hygene can suffer much

:D

[sammythecat]

52. Puberty. What can I say. We were possessed.

It wasn't good, but it wasn't quite as bad as I made it sound.

It was an excavated area that was used as a dump for "spring clean-up" stuff. The smaller towns in that area had them once or twice a year and people could throw away things the regular garbage guys wouldn't pick up. Old furniture, tv's, appliances, boxes of porn, tires, and whatnot. There wasn't a lot of smelly stuff that I remember.

I guess it's kind of a guy type thing.

Thank goodness for the internet though. I don't have to do that anymore. :thumbsup:

[Raejeanowl]

61. That Reminds Me Of My Old Gang O' Mine

I grew up literally next door to what used to be the Carvel Hall hotel in Annapolis; it's now the (restored) William Paca House and Gardens. My compatriots and I, a rowdy bunch from East Street (Hell Point), would not only run wild around the back hallways of the hotel and such, we would regularly "dumpster dive" in the service parking lot and come up with all sorts of tremendous finds, not the least of which was an ongoing supply of men's magazines and outright porn. You just had to hit it at the right time of day after the rooms were cleared as opposed to after the dining room hours.

It was one of our preferred forms of entertainment in the early 60s; most of our families had no cars, and only about half of us had black and white TVs.

[sammythecat]

77. Yep. Must be something in the male jeans.

:P

[Yupster]

70. Also in the Sixties,

I looked forward to going to the dentist just so I could see the topless hotties in National Geographics.

[havocmom]

45. no source of news or basic goods besides a few grocery items in my town

If you want it, you gotta order online and import.... EVERYTHING

[Mojorabbit]

3. It is a necessity

if you want to be informed. Other than that I'd say a luxury.

[question everything]

37. This is what public libraries are for (nt)

[havocmom]

43. In many smaller towns, libraries are seriously underfunded and don't carry subscriptions

to more than the local paper. Internet access is essential for those libraries. Few can keep up with purchasing new books as technology changes so fast. They use internet as portals for huge databases they carry subscriptions to in lieu of lots of journals and book they can't afford.

[Rosemary2205]

4. Actually

with how unreliable the post office is getting I'm starting to think online banking and bill paying IS a necessity.

IMHO though, because the massive amounts of information available on the internet. For instance resources to investigate a surgeon, a medical situation, a home repair situation, and investment situation, or any situation -- add to that the library for the kids to research closes at 4pm and with both parents working a lot of homework isn't done until after 8pm.

Can those who don't make money on it survive without. maybe. Succeed and thrive? Maybe not.

[Deja Q]

5. Necessity

When's the last time a product worked out of the box?

Maybe the Commodore Amiga or Atari 130XE...

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Necessity, especially in these tough economic times.

[clevbot]

7. i think it has become necessary

as a college student...internet is a big deal...

[PDJane]

8. It's a necessity for me.

It's how I keep in contact with my world.

[Warpy]

9. It was a bit of both, for me, when I was living in poverty

It was 100% of my entertainment budget and it was how I found the best deal in town on things like gas. It allowed me to pay bills and when something finally died and the thrift shop wasn't forthcoming, a place to find it at auction.

I did extremely well at auctions and the service really did end up paying for itself.

[gollygee]

10. As little as it costs these days, the word "luxury" might be a bit dramatic

but it isn't a necessity for most people. People are certainly able to survive without it. It might be a significant quality of life issue in some cases.

[madrchsod]

11. it is a necessity

the internet is the one of the tools that links everyone in the world to each other.

[shanti]

12. most definitely, a necessity!

it's my lifeline! i would cut other bills down, but not my internet.

[Gormy Cuss]

13. Luxury, if those are the only choices.

It's very handy for a lot of reasons and I'd say it's a very practical thing to have, but not a necessity.

[timtom]

50. In the same manner,

other technological innovations are also a luxury:

Books
The number 0 (zero)
Science

I think Maslow's hierarchy of needs succinctly demonstrates this.

[Gormy Cuss]

56. You forgot telephones. n/t

[timtom]

65. No

Telephones are quite necessary. They come between food and sex. It's just CELL phones that are unnecessary.

[shanti]

14. dupe - deleted

[texanwitch]

15. I work from home so the internet is a necessity for me.

I think it is a necessity for anyone, so many of us get our news from internet.

I listen to my radio programs over the internet.

I would give up my tv before I gave up my internet.

I would cut back on a lot of things before I gave up my internet.

[Uncle Joe]

16. For the sake of democracy, I view the Internet as far more necessary

than any other form of communication, television, radio, or print, those are all one way from the top down. The Internet is the people's voice and that's why the powers that be which have profited from their monopoly on information and thus power, money influence and control with the ability to brain wash the masses, will persecute those most likely to support freedom of the Internet and by extension, the American People.

I believe this was the primary motivation as to why the corporate media slandered and libeled Al Gore for so long. With the Internet, power shifted to the people for the first time since the advent of television. As it allowed the American People, to communicate for the whole world to see without first having to go through a corporate media controlled filter.

[Kali]

22. I agree

[Juche]

17. Necessity

I wouldn't consider it a base survival necessity like food, water or basic medicine. But it is a necessity for leading a comfortable, productive and informed life at this point the same way transportation, human interaction or shelter is a necessity.

The cell phone is helping Africa work its way out of poverty.

http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0712-rhett_butler.html

Imagine what everpresent broadband could do for that country.

[Bill McBlueState]

60. which country? n/t

[Juche]

67. Theres more than one?

I meant to say continent.

[Greyhound]

18. It has become a necessity, but not yet an essential service.

As the price of transportation/energy begins to reflect it's true cost, it will become an essential service, i.e. something without which the nation cannot function.

[panader0]

19. Well, I lived about 48 years without one.

But I sure enjoy it now.

[Yupster]

71. Amazing how many things we lived without for most of our history

and now they're necessities.

Edited to add that the whole time I grew up I never had air conditioning in a school I went to all through high school. Yes it was hot. We opened the windows, fanned ourselves with notebooks and it was still hot.

Now somehow air conditioning is a requirement to learning.

[juno jones]

20. Necessity

We have no cable right now because we can't afford it. We don't do much else. But we keep the internet because it is endlessly entertaining and right now a lot of the TV stuff we would watch anyway turns up on websites, youtube, etc.

I would have no real news without it. Hell, we get the Seattle papers up here and they are sometimes 2 or 3 days behind the internets. And not as freaking nuanced either.

Also I get to 'talk' to specialists in the fields I'm interested in. That is worth any number of re-runs.

I can do without a lot of things, but the internet is important enough to keep as long as I can.

[magellan]

21. Luxury

...if you're not relying on it for your income.

But I nearly said necessity because personally, I want to be informed, and the internet is the only reliable and comprehensive source of news. But most people do not use/rely on it that way.

[bbinacan]

23. Luxury n/t.

[Faux pas]

24. Necessity, live in podunkavania, no shopping, nada.

[LWolf]

25. I consider it a necessity.

TV and radio are luxuries I can get by just fine without.

The internet as a communication tool and informational resource is vital.

[seabeyond]

26. luxury, but i am sure too many people will say a necessity. cable is luxury too btw. lol n/t

[seabeyond]

27. though for hubby (computer dude) a necessity. why he gets paid twice a month. n/t

[SCBeeland]

28. Where else would I get the news?

It is a necessity if you ask me. Without it, I'd have only CNN, Fox, and MSNBC for news, which is not really news at all in my opinion.

[Speck Tater]

29. Necessities: Air, food, water, shelter, clothing, medicine.

Everything else is a luxury.

Don't believe it? Wait a few years while the collapse of civilization, already under way, picks up steam. That will make it very clear what is a necessity and what is a luxury.

[Fireweed247]

73. They are making our necessities out of reach

Raising the cost of food,clothes,medicine and gas astronomically, privatizing our water, ruining our air...we need the internet and this miraculous global exchange to raise awareness, fight back and protect the necessities of life.

[SeattleGirl]

30. Necessity.

I cannot do my job without it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

31. For me it's a necessity, since I get most of my customers over the Internet

and use Google as a chief reference tool.

[SammyWinstonJack]

32. NECESSITY! Can't depend on the corprat media whores to tell the truth, inform the public without

rw bias.

[proud2BlibKansan]

33. Necessity

Just like a library.

[leftofthedial]

34. necessity

we should have free broadband access in every home and public place in America.

[sammythecat]

53. I'm with you on that.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if future generations consider the internet just as much a milestone as the Industrial Revolution.

[leftofthedial]

69. it should be the the basic building block of democracy

since there is no longer a free press

[-..__...]

35. Not a necessity.

I know plenty of people that are Internet free and couldn't care less... and they live a better lifestyle than I do.

If it wasn't for the addiction that I have for the Internet, I could get along just fine without it.

Other than it's widespread use for business reasons, the importance of the Internet is a generational type phenomena ... older folks function and get about their daily lives just fine without it. Younger folks would shrivel up die without their bit stream injections.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

36. My roomate works from, so the internet is a necessity for him.

I guess it's an necessity for me as it keeps me up to date on politics and computer stuff, also paying my bills online...
...other than that I can't say :blush:

[spanone]

38. with the state of our media it is a necessity.

[BigDaddy44]

39. If its a necessity, should it be free?

Otherwise, I don't see the point of the question.

[davidthegnome]

40. Tough one

My computer and internet are all I've got. No social life to speak of, can't find a job, I'm broke, and not exactly handsome enough to find myself a rich lady to take care of me. I don't get out much, I haven't had sex in months, so... hmm... ok, well I could survive without the internet - the issue is that I wouldn't want to.

[goldcanyonaz]

41. It is a necessary luxury.

[w8liftinglady]

44. it has saved my sanity...a necessity

[Skittles]

46. necessity

need it for my job and if I was laid off I would need it to help me FIND another job

[tammywammy]

48. luxury

[Trekologer]

49. NOT a luxury

Several years ago, internet access was probablly a luxury. Today is it not.

Broadband internet access is in the process of leveling the field for, and reducing barriers to cultural, ecomonic, and political advancement. Just 10 years ago, most Americans had limited access to information beyond their local area: news came from local newspapers or limited TV outlets, whatever books or magazines were in local libraries or bookstores, and it was often dificult to find others with the same ideas and beleifs, if your own were out of the "mainstream".

Today, look what we have access to at the click of a button: instant access to news from publications all around the world, discussion on forums such as this one, etc. Technologies such as VoIP have all but eliminated high costs of communicating over long distances. You will start to see video providers using the internet to get services to you soon as well. The results will be better choice and lower costs.

[noel711]

54. It's a necessary luxury... it keeps me sane....

I realize that life was simply BC... before computers...

But it brings to me a level of sanity and information
that most folks simply do not have without it.

I predict in the future that the US post office will have
available to the public computers with which to check the publics
email accounts for those who can't afford their own computers,

and fax machines for the public to use without charge
(obviously the bill will be paid by public funding,
the way we pay for 'stamps'...)

Libraries have provided a great service by having
computers, but those are not without some issues..

[kevinbgoode]

55. necessity

graduate student - I'd be very strapped for research time if I couldn't do so much work at home. Library hours are limited - but I can access research 24/7 online. I'd keep this and give up television. . .I've long ago given up cable.

[Howler]

57. Necessity

Oh a necessity definitely. No joke.

[Lorien]

58. In today's economy it's a necessity for many, especially telecommuters

I live in Florida, while 60% of my clients are in California. Many of them work with manufacturers in *cough* China. I design something (sometimes in full color) and email the 7 MB file to the client. There's a little back and forth with corrections, then it's emailed to China. When China has prototypes ready they email the color images of those prototypes to me for corrections and approval...there's a huge amount of back and forth. Before everyone was wired we would fax black and white images to one another and send the color work via FedEx, but that added days-sometimes weeks-to a project. The internet changed everything and made it much cheaper and easier to do business. A huge number of jobs are going this way, so if you don't have a computer and internet access already you may find yourself with no means of support at some point in the future.

It's still a luxury to some. I know a few people who still refuse to own a computer, but they are retired and have friends nearby with internet access, so they can get online if they really feel the need.

[Pharlo]

59. A personal computer with internet access in THIS society is a luxury.

But if you want to conduct a job search, or to do homework, internet access is a necessity. You may have to go to a library or school for the access, but you WILL find yourself online.

High speed access is a luxury.
Dial up is, for some, the only option.

[Raejeanowl]

62. It Has Become A Necessity For Us

Oh, we would survive without it, but life as we know it would be rolled back to the stone ages if we couldn't streamline the bill paying, banking, and investments, order goods on line, attend college classes (without the driving and parking and weather) on our own preferred schedule, manage a calendar and stay in better touch with friends and family (including special occasions/greetings/gifts/photos/videos when we can't be there), order and manage library lends, research home projects, and generally share information.

I've used it extensively for work purposes (research, correspondence, document transfer), but never as a formal telecommuter.

I cannot imagine "going back." Granted, one good thunderstorm and it's back to the slate tablet and chisel until the ISP gets up and running again.

In my personal hierarchy of needs viz the computer, the political and casually social contacts/communication is probably the least critical to me of my on-line activities (sorry DU-time and energy to be virtually involved as well as actually involved is the luxury).

[Xenotime]

63. A necessity.

[dembotoz]

64. necessity-in times of unsure employment

internet has replaced other sources of job leads over the last couple of years.
in my field, if you do not have access you are not considered.

[Locrian]

66. technology discriminator

Its a technology discriminator. Those who have it have access to more "information" - news, health info, stocks etc. Of course it can be used for crap like a TV but in general it's an advantage depending on how you use it.

As for luxury or necessity.... is a car necessary? I mean you have to travel to work etc, but you ***could*** take a bus, taxi, etc. Necessity is food, clothing, shelter. You could say **anything** above that is luxury if you want to.

[CANDO]

68. For purely informational purposes....necessity.

eom

[applegrove]

72. Necessity.

[Balbus]

74. Necessity - it's impossible to live without the internet.

Lack of connectivity is what made the dinosaurs go extinct...

[BreweryYardRat]

75. Necessity.

I can save more money buying stuff online than the monthly fees cost.

[Rex]

76. The Internet is a want, not a need.

[Uncle Joe]

78. The "Presidency" of Bush should tell you otherwise.

Nothing aided his ascension to power more than the traditional one way corporate media's non-stop propaganda enabling him to power, Meanwhile they simultaneously slandered, libeled and trashed with out a twinge of regret the political leader that championed the Internet and thereby was most responsible for empowering the American People's voice to he heard without having to go through their monopoly of information first. They did this for the better part of two years prior to the selection of 2000 out of spite, they abandoned any pretense to actually representing the American People's best interest, by telling them the truth.

The corporate media owners and CEOs played the part of Zeus to Al Gore's Prometheus with information via the Internet being fire in the Information Age, their puppets; aka pundits became their vulture or vultures but as they had no taste for liver, they had a 24/7 feast on Al Gore's credibility or integrity. Surely you've heard "Al Gore claimed to have invented the Internet" etc. etc. well as ludicrous as that slander/libel by the corporate media is, it was repeated ad nauseum beginning in March of 99 until some poor suckers actually came to believe it, and this is how we ended up with the most corrupt, incompetent and least liked administration since records have been kept, mean while the vanquished; who helped to actually empower the American People goes on to win an Oscar, Emmy and Nobel Peace Prize all in the same year for his efforts in saving life as we know it, write a best selling book on the dumbing down of our democratic republic's discourse and the resultant threat to our democracy and even then Time Magazine couldn't bring themselves to call him "Person of The Year".

I say the Internet is needed now more than ever.

[Libby2]

79. A necessary luxury. n/t

[galledgoblin]

80. necessity

be interesting to see this as a poll, but the results would be one-sided.

[depakid]

81. Necessary for an informed electorate, to be sure

also, to purchase airplane tickets....