The net has moved from being primarily a university tool to a major source of commercially valuable information. Some spend huge amounts of time connected. The average weekly use by men and women was 6.5 hours. Six out of ten said that they had cut down on television as a result, with some pundits predicting that internet use could exceed television audiences at Prime Time in some US cities. Internet addiction is becoming a medically recognised problem with signs of irritability following withdrawal.
Some people get a huge buzz out of zipping around the world via their computers.
More than a million children are estimated to be net users, raising fears of exposure to all kinds of undesirable influences. The net is a composite of everything that is good and everything that is bad in publishing, radio and in television as well as the murkier side of the video industry. Since the net is becoming so secure it is hardly surprising that it has acted as a magnet for people who have something to hide. A few months ago I was surprised to find detailed instructions on making a home-made grenade. More recently there was a request from a student for instructions on for fertiliser.