Web power

Whether you agree with his statement or not, there is no arguing about the significance of the web in the modern world.

From studying to socialising, the web has crept into all aspects of our lives and this week in Iran it gained a foothold in politics.

A revolution is taking place in the country, thanks in part to a social networking site called Twitter.

Demonstrators are using the real-time messaging site to organise meetings and co-ordinate protests, giving power to the people in Iran.

A voice to the masses The side plot to the Iranian demonstrations this week has been the role of the internet in the election backlash.

“The Iranian government blocked people’s access to Facebook and blocked their mobile phones, Twitter was the last thing they had,” says Sam Shepherd, digital projects co-ordinator for The Echo.

“There would have been a time when the Iranian government could have got away with it but thanks to the internet it’s much harder for injustice to be covered up – people outside Iran know what’s going on in the country and Iranians know that people in the West support them. It’s changed the way people look at Twitter.”

Social networking Love it or loath it, the internet has also had a profound effect on the way people socialise.

“It’s transformation the way people interact,” explains Sam.

“You might not necessarily talk to your next door neighbour anymore, but you can have a big network of people online that you can talk to, get advice from and even get help from – it’s just a different way of connecting with people.”

Banking “The development of internet banking has perhaps been the most significant development in personal banking in the 200 years,” says Tim Pie, spokesperson for HSBC.

“It is dramatically altering the way customers do business with their banks and the way banks offer services to their customers.

“Twenty years ago your bank dictated how you do business with them, now the power in that relationship has shifted.

“Customers can often find better deals on line, such as higher paid savings account. That’s because the cost-to-serve is a lot lower so banks can reward their customers financially.”

Shopping Whether it’s cheap flights or designer underwear, shopping online is big business and it’s getting bigger.

According to the UK Statistics Authority, over 20 million UK adults shopped online in 2005. The Office for National Statistics estimate that in the same year internet shopping was worth over £21bn – a four fold increase since 2002.

“There are an enormous number of providers for all sorts of products out there, which wouldn’t be operating without the internet – insurance is a good example,” says Tim.

“They do it through the internet because they don’t have the capital to establish large branch networks – that has created a higher degree of competition and with it better pricing.”

Music and art “The internet has been a double edged sword for the music industry,” says James Heward, a spokesperson for Pomona, a PR company for the music industry.

“Because people are downloading stuff for free they have got a lot more access to new music, so the money is being spent on going to see the bands live.

“In the last two or three years the live music scene has probably more than doubled which is why bands are playing more often – they have to because they aren’t selling records anymore.”

The internet also helps artists gain recognition for their work, as was the case for Keira Rathbone, a typewriter artists from Poole who was featured in The Echo in January.

“Since the article I have had lot of press interest, which spread throughout the world in a very short space of time,” explains Keira.

“I've been featured in Braz-ilian, Portuguese, Spanish, Belgian and Chinese newspapers – I don’t think it would have been the same if it hadn’t been for the internet.”