A certain portion of the population is of the opinion that in-person trips are required in order to acquire knowledge regarding other nations, whereas others believe in the notion that multimedia consumption via TV and the Internet is adequate. This essay will examine these two arguments, as well as make clear that while the information gathered on the Internet is undoubtedly useful, the experience of actually being in another country cannot be overlooked.
Television and the Internet, ever since their inception, have proven to be unrivaled and unprecedented sources of knowledge and information, in both scale and quality. Millions of users all over the world constantly upload their experiences and insights to the Internet on sites like YouTube and Facebook, and one of the most popular types of content concerns their adventures in exotic destinations and tourist attractions. Moreover, travel shows that take their viewers on journeys across the world are in no short supply. This has made it straightforward and convenient to share in these experiences and sometimes even internalize them as our own, and along the way enrich our lives in ways that our ancestors would have thought impossible. Without investing our own time, money, and effort, we can cast our minds to faraway lands and learn about distant cultures, their histories, and their people in the most captivating manner. Indeed, the Internet has considerably enriched our lives and brought the peoples of the world closer than ever before.
Nevertheless, there is something to be said about real-life travels. The Internet and television are mostly a visual and audial media, yet the human perception can do so much more. Nothing can ever hope to replace the experience of seeing a breathtaking sight like the Grand Canyon with one’s own two eyes, or the feeling of awe and inspiration when one stands before the great monuments of human achievements such as the pyramid of Giza or the Roman Colosseum. Without actually taking in the full scale of these testaments to the wonders of the natural world or the richness of our history as a whole species, our appreciation of them would be indubitably diminished. Not to mention the meaningful encounters with local people and culture that have the potential to augment our understanding of not only these far-flung lands but also potentially ourselves. Our society’s overreliance on multimedia to substitute these real-life experiences with virtual ones is inarguably misguided, and we would be missing out on significant, transformative experiences by refusing to acknowledge the benefits of being well-traveled.
In conclusion, while the Internet has definitely proven its usefulness in providing society with practical and helpful information about foreign countries, it is still vital that we understand the colossal advantages of real, physical travel experiences and seek to improve ourselves by experiencing unfamiliar places and cultures by ourselves.