It is often said that modern life presents us with an overwhelming number of choices.
I completely agree with this, and I believe that the Internet and globalisation are
the two major factors involved.
It is undeniable that the Internet has led to a dramatic expansion in the number of
choices that are available to us. The number of online media options, for instance,
is now almost endless. There are countless websites offering entertainment, news,
videos, on-demand TV and music streaming, many of which are free. I would argue that
this abundance of media leads to confusion on the part of the average user, as we
have to make so many decisions about the content that we consume. A personal example
of this trend would be the fact that I had a choice of just four TV channels when I
was a child, whereas I now have access to thousands of films and series through
services like Netflix.
Alongside the influence of the Internet, globalisation is making the world smaller
and compounding this problem of too much choice. Cheap international flights have
made overseas travel possible for millions of people, but this also means that we
are faced with a world of options when deciding where to go on holiday or even where
to live. We no longer have the limited but simple travel choices of our grandparents’
generation. The same is true if we look at the increasing tendency for young people
to study abroad. While the opportunity for overseas study seems appealing, many
students are confused about where to go and which path to take.
In conclusion, we are faced with a huge number of options in most areas of life
nowadays, and this is often more bewildering than beneficial.