The Internet is generally defined as a global networking system, which is available on most electronic devices nowadays. In today’s technological era, it has become an essential part of our life. Many leading companies and organizations are conducting their operations on the Internet. With the significant use and benefits of the Internet, companies, and individuals are making their daily work more productive, comfortable, and faster.
In this article, we discuss the various uses of the Internet with real-time examples that we come across in our daily lives. However, these are not the only applications of the Internet. Many other uses or applications can be seen for specific purposes, and that too are increasing with each new technology coming in this current technological era.
What are the uses of the Internet?
Various uses of the internet can be seen in many day-to-day activities in different areas or regions. It would not be wrong if we say that the Internet has innumerable uses. Some of the most common uses of the Internet can be found in the following areas:
Internet Uses List [Show/ Hide] • Education • Business • Banking • Research • Emails • Social Media • Finance & Accounting • Cashless Transactions • E-commerce • Online Orders & Booking • Recharges & Bill Payments • E-ticketing • Job Search • File Transfer • Advertising & Marketing • Broadcasting • E-Paper & News • Blogging & Publishing • Entertainment • Gaming • Navigation • Home
Uses of Internet in Education
The use of the Internet is widely seen in the field of education. Most of the computational devices nowadays are equipped with the Internet, which enables people to find any specific information in a few minutes using search engines or websites. Apart from this, the desired information can be found in multiple formats like images, videos, documents, etc., which makes the study very easy.
With access to the Internet, people do not need to go to the library, search for a book and then search for a specific topic from the book to learn something. Everything is available in a few clicks with the Internet. Besides, the internet has advanced people and helped them to take online classes through video conferencing directly from their homes. Exams and results are also made available through the internet these days.
Uses of Internet in Business
Most businesses and organizations these days depend on the Internet in one way or another. Typically, businesses take advantage of the Internet to store employees’ details and other operational data within databases over the network.
Apart from this, business meetings have become much easier with audio and video conferencing on the Internet. People from different branches of any business located in different places can communicate easily with the help of the internet.
Uses of Internet in Banking
The Internet has changed the way of banking a lot these days. People can avail of online banking with internet access and perform various tasks like checking their account details, statements, transferring money, applying for ATM, changing ATM PIN, turning on/ off international transactions, setting limits, raising complaints, contacting to bank’s customer support personnel, etc.
People don’t need to go to the bank for common tasks and ask bank employees for help. Instead, they can access the bank’s website or application and do most of the work on their own while sitting at home or traveling abroad.
Uses of Internet in Research
The Internet is playing an important role in research. Before the advent of the internet, people used to go through many books to find any small information which can now be found on the internet with few clicks. Additionally, people can study or track past successful and unsuccessful research of any topic to continuously work towards further improvements.
Uses of Internet in Emails
Email, short for electronic mail, is one of the traditional uses of the Internet. It is considered one of the first communication mediums on the Internet that enabled people to transfer information and data files from one computational device to another.
After the introduction of electronic mail on the Internet, the load on physical mailing systems has also reduced. Due to this, the use of paper has reduced considerably over time.
Uses of Internet in Social Media
The use of social media or social networking sites is considered one of the most important uses of the Internet. These sites enable people from all over the world to connect together. With social networking, people can create social groups and grow their community to share ideas, information, create ads, run campaigns, promote business, etc.
Social media platforms can be considered as one of the largest sources of various content and communication on the Internet. The great thing is that people do not need to pay extra fees or charges to use most of the social media sites. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are some of the popular social media sites.
Uses of Internet in Finance & Accounting
Internet is playing an important role in the field of finance and accounting. The people working in these departments now have wider access to information with the Internet. Also, they can interact with their clients quickly using internet calls, emails, etc.
Most offices nowadays store or record their data in online spreadsheet software such as Excel for the web, Google Spreadsheets, etc. This way, the data remains secure and can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection when needed. In most countries, the government has also allowed people to pay their taxes online.
Apart from this, the Internet has made it very easy for people to trade in the stock market and mutual funds from anywhere. People can easily buy, sell or manage stocks online on their own.
Uses of Internet in Cashless Transactions
Cashless transactions are becoming popular with the Internet. Nowadays, people do not need to carry cash while traveling. Instead, they can make the desired payment using the debit or credit cards provided by their banks. These cards can be swapped on POS (Point-of-Sale) devices registered to particular merchants or outlets. This way, people do not have to worry about theft, and at the same time, they can keep a record of the transactions.
Apart from this, people can also take advantage of the Unified Payment Interface (UPI). It doesn’t even require people to carry their physical debit or credit cards. The UPI concept generally uses a registered smartphone and the internet to process the transaction. The UPI system is constantly evolving to promote cashless transactions or digital payments in many countries.
Uses of Internet in E-Commerce
E-commerce sites, commonly called online shopping sites, have enabled people to buy their essential items or products from anywhere with just a few clicks. These sites take advantage of the Internet and list many products with prices and descriptions. People can navigate these sites, find the products they need, and order directly from home using their devices.
Apart from this, people can also connect to various e-commerce sites to become sellers on their platform and sell various items online easily. Transactions can be made using multiple options like Debit/Credit Card, UPI, COD (Cash on Delivery), etc. Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and Olx are some of the popular e-commerce websites.
Uses of Internet in Online Orders & Booking
Using the internet, people can also place orders for cooked food, dairy items, medicines, vegetables, and many more. Such things are generally not provided by e-commerce sites. However, some specific sites enable users to take advantage of the internet and get their products. Almost everything can be ordered from home using the internet and received directly at the doorstep.
Apart from this, people can also book any hotel room, restaurant seat, etc., using various online platforms. At the same time, there is an option to book a taxi online using the internet, which picks up a person from the desired location and drops them at a specified location. Most things have become digital with the Internet.
Uses of Internet in Recharges & Bill Payments
In previous days, people had to go to the retailer to get their mobile recharged. Similarly, the only way to pay bills like electricity, piped gas, water, etc., was through their respective official center. However, recharge and bill payments are available on the internet these days.
People can directly choose a plan and get the respective recharge for their mobile number, DTH (direct-to-home), broadband, etc. All bill payments are also available to be done online over the internet. Payment can be made using various options like Online Banking, Debit/Credit Card, UPI, etc.
Uses of Internet in E-Ticketing
When it comes to ticket booking, the internet has changed the way of it with the introduction of the e-ticketing system. Nowadays, people need not wait in long queues for their turn to book tickets at the respective counters. Instead, they can visit specific sites using the internet and book tickets for buses, trains, flights, etc., directly from their home.
Uses of Internet in Job Search
Searching for a job or getting a job has become much easier than before. Candidates can browse the internet to search for a specific job based on their profile or interest. They do not need to go from company to company to know whether there is any vacancy or not. There are many websites which inform people about jobs. Candidates can submit their resumes on these sites and know about the vacancies while sitting at home.
Apart from this, most of the reputed companies have their own official sites where they also keep posting for job updates. Candidates can find a suitable job and apply accordingly. Interviews are also conducted online these days over the internet.
Uses of Internet in File Transfer
The process of transferring data or files between multiple devices has become easier with the Internet. Generally, people use email or social media platforms to share files. In addition, there are many sites, such as Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, which allow uploading/downloading, and sharing of files. However, these mediums have sharing limits and can sometimes be risky when it comes to sharing sensitive data.
With FTP (File Transfer Protocol), people can securely exchange data or files over the Internet without any limitations. The use of FTP is considered one of the essential use cases for the Internet in the early days. The FTP concept is still widely used, especially for downloading large files.
Uses of Internet in Advertising & Marketing
Since the Internet is widely used by people across the world, it is one of the best platforms for advertising products or services. There are many options for promoting something on the Internet. One can use different advertising platforms or join marketing agencies and can use different mediums of online advertising like images, banners, videos, emails, etc.
Internet is currently helping most of the advertisers to reach people easily and display specific advertisements. There are options for both free ads and paid ads. Google is currently the market leader in online advertising or internet marketing.
Uses of Internet in Broadcasting
Broadcast refers to the distribution of specific content from a single source to multiple recipients. Internet technology has not only introduced us to quality broadcasting but has also provided a better and faster way of doing it. Television is the best example of broadcasting and people can stream live television channels on their devices using the internet. However, there are many other Internet broadcasting mediums, which allow people to share content with more and more people.
Uses of Internet in E-Paper & News
The Internet has also advanced the way we receive news and updates. Nowadays, people can have a digital copy of physical newspapers on their devices, called e-papers. The presence of e-newspapers and magazines is keeping people up to date with essential information and also cutting down on paper usage.
Apart from this, there are various news sites and informative social groups that keep people updated with the daily activities happening around the world. People can also subscribe online for desired updates on a specific category like politics, history, geology, technology, sports, etc.
Uses of Internet in Blogging & Publishing
With the expansion of the Internet, it has become so easy to have a personal blog or publishing site where individuals can share their thoughts, ideas, or knowledge through posts. There are many blogging platforms like Blogger, WordPress, etc., using which one can easily set the desired style for a blog and make it live in a few minutes without even spending a single penny. This way, individuals have their own space to share or publish content with others.
Uses of Internet in Entertainment
The Internet has become the most useful medium of entertainment. There is a wide variety of content on the Internet for people of different ages. We can take advantage of the internet and listen to songs online, watch videos or movies, read jokes and stories, etc. The best part is that we can even download entertaining content into our devices to enjoy them in the near future.
Uses of Internet in Gaming
The Internet has revolutionized the way gaming is done. It has enabled people to connect from different locations and play specific games simultaneously, taking multiplayer online gaming to a whole new level. Modern games allow players to chat or talk during gameplay to decide moves, plans, etc., in the game. PUBG is one such online game that has gained popularity all over the world.
In addition, people can play a variety of light, low-graphics games by visiting online gaming sites. This way, they don’t have to install games on their devices, while saving storage for other essential tasks.
Uses of Internet in Navigation
The navigation system is one of the functions for which the Internet is widely used. People can browse the internet for online maps such as Google Maps and search for specific places on the map. The map displays the location along with the address details, route to reach the specified place, the distance between the places, and many more details.
Maps may be even more helpful if the device has GPS support. People can set to visit any place and the device will act as a compass to guide the way to go to the place in the shortest possible time. Using the navigation system, one can easily find the nearest hotel, restaurant, train station, airport, bank, ATM, etc.
Uses of Internet at Home
The use of the internet is seen extensively in homes, where people take advantage of it for multiple tasks, be it chatting, video conferencing, studying, banking, gaming, research, online ordering, ticket booking, etc. This is one of the primary reasons why most of the people are taking broadband connections in their homes to surf the internet without any limits.
Summary
This article discusses more than 20 uses of the internet in our daily life. The uses of the Internet are almost uncountable, many in each specific area or region. It has covered everything from education to entertainment to business over time. The internet has become the need of this technological era, and we cannot expect a life without the internet these days.