When we encounter problems, need answers, or are simply looking for entertainment or amusement, what's the first thing that comes to mind?
Don't know the meaing of a word? Search for it online.
Can't decide which handphone to get? Search for reviews online.
Don't know how to get somewhere? Find bus, mrt, or even driving instructions online.
Need to buy a dress but too busy to go shopping? Buy it online.
Everything we do is centred around the world wide web, and without it, most people tend to feel a sense of loss or helplessness. This reliance on the internet has led to many societal problems in our society, and these problems are set to escalate as technology advances further and people become more dependent on the net.
In this day and age, whatever we are looking for, the first thing most would do is find a computer or laptop, and go on the internet. Information, games, shopping, friendship, and even love can be found online. Yes, the internet has brought us techonological advancements, convenience and lots of advantages. But are we getting too dependent on it?
I found a very disturbing news report which was published on the 3rd of June this year. In Phoenix, Arizona, a 15 year old boy murdered his father. And the reason for this shocking act? The teen's father had banned him from using the internet.
Hughstan Schlicker got so angry and upset that his father forbided him from using the internet that he even contemplated suicide, deciding to kill himself with his father's 12 gauge shotgun. However, he later changed his mind and decided to instead kill his father first, and then commit suicide. So when his father got home, the teenager calmly waited till his father got into the kitchen, walked up behind him, and shot him in the back of the head, killing him instantly.
However, the Hughstan called a female friend to confess what he had done, and to tell her he was going to commit suicide. The girl managed to talk him out of it and convinced him to call the police instead.
Hughstan Schlicker wasa charged with first degree murder and will be tried as an adult.
Oh, and this is his reason for killing his own father: Hughstan told detectives that he used the Internet to communicate with his friends and since his father took the Internet away, he was "just so depressed all the time," the report said. He often spent entire days on MySpace and couldn't cope when his father cut off his access to the site. "It felt like I was stabbed with a knife and it went straight through and … no matter how hard I pulled, I couldn't pull out the knife,"
