Plagiarism and the Internet :: Cheating Education Essays

Plagiarism and the Internet The web influences peopleà °s lives relating to plagiarism and the law. In this paper I will discuss why plagiarism is increasing with time. Technology is becoming more prominent each day. Now, personal computers are seemingly a necessity in college dormitories. They are even being used routinely for nightly homework assignments for high school and even elementary school students. Moreover, the web is not only being used for research assignments, but also for game-playing, meeting new people, and quicker, easier communication. This increase in Internet usage is recognizable on a personal basis alone. As a high school freshman, the computer was not used nearly as much as it was as a high school senior. High school assignments were computer based, but in only four years, it seemed as if subject curriculums were being modified to incorporate more computer-based projects and activities to parallel the computerà °s increasing use in society. Although computer use is increasing in society, ethics are decreasing. As students are directed to use the web on a routine basis to complete assignments, many worth a substantial part of the courseà °s grade, it is nearly impossible to avoid a pop-up advertisement or a website that diverts the student from valuable information to lengthy papers covering nearly every conceivable topic. Even the most gifted students are tempted at times since society is moving at a fast pace, and people are attempting to complete as many tasks in the least amount of time possible. This pressure to complete numerous tasks in short periods of time promotes a cheating environment. People, students more specifically, want to do things as easily as possible. In addition, many students are not caught cheating, so they will make a habit of cheating time and time again. Even those that are caught cheating are not always reprimanded in the proper way. In fact, some students caught cheating are not even disciplined at all, as teachers are afraid to confront a student or deal with administrative issues. This is a fine example of how school systems are less ethical than in years prior. On a broader forum, society is becoming less and less ethical, not just school systems. There are an increasing number of television shows where experts will argue the ethics of a situation, simply because the law can be used to support either side. For example, there has been a great deal of commotion dealing with downloading music.