The birth and development of the Internet has allowed a host of products, services and information to be available in a convenient one-stop forum - one that is so comprehensive that people no longer need to leave their computers.
A September-study by the Buffalo News detailed the difference between the lives of college freshmen in the year 2002 and the lives of their predecessors. One of the differences between today's students and those of previous years was that students born since1984, the average birth year of the class of 2006, have never known life without cyberspace.
Since its inception, the Internet has brought many things that were previously found only outside of the home onto the desktop, and today's students often cannot fathom a time when this was not possible.
Shopping for goods and services is one aspect of everyday life that has been enhanced by Internet accessibility. Popular Web-based companies like eBay and Amazon have increased the convenience and prevalence of online shopping.
"I buy stuff all the time, as long as you're getting it from at least a semi-reputable company you should be fine," said Rob Santos, a sophomore majoring in media studies. "I order at least once a month from places like Half.com and eBay."
Some students, though, do not feel as secure ordering from online Web sites, based on previous experience.
"I get nervous sometimes," said Steve Sillick, a freshman computer science and mathematics major. "I'm never really sure if the orders go through. I did order something once and it didn't work so it made me lose faith in the whole online ordering."
Others choose not to shop from their computers for security reasons.
"I think the security is so-so, it could be better," said Theresa Moehle, a sophomore industrial engineering major. "I've definitely seen glitches with Amazon.com. Instead of saving my e-mail address, it puts in the credit card number and when you sign back in, the credit card number is displayed. This makes me feel a little unsafe in case someone got on my computer and my account."
Most companies attempt to make potential customers feel safer about ordering online by offering security statements on their Web sites.
"Yes, shopping at Eastbay is safe," states Eastbay.com on its Web site. "We encrypt your personal information - including your credit card number when transmitting over the Internet - using triple key encryption technology by Secure Server Certification Authority RSA Data Security, Inc., U.S. and a Verisign SSL . to ensure your Internet transactions."
When it comes to online security, those who understand the system and how it works seem to worry less about information leakage.
"Shopping online is convenient. I probably do it a couple of times a month," said Rob Nuding, a sophomore mathematics major. "I know how the system of sending information works so I feel pretty safe about it."
This system involves encryption, which uses the mathematical language that computers understand to transmit information. Nuding learned about this language in a mathematics course he had taken.
Information on encryption is also available from sources other than the classroom. According to the Netscape Security Center, encryption is the key to online security.
"There are two levels of encryption: 40-bit and 128-bit. With 40-bit encryption, there are billions of possible keys to decipher the coded information, and only one of them works. Someone intercepting the information would have to find the right key, a nearly impossible task," stated the Netscape Web site.
With 128-bit encryption, there are 300 billion trillion times as many keys as with 40-bit encryption. It is virtually impossible for an unauthorized party to find the right key, even if they are equipped with the best computers, according to the Web site.
Since the level of encryption that each company uses varies, doing research before ordering items online is important, but there are other measures that individuals can take to make ordering online less nerve-wracking.
"I use a debit card that I never really keep a lot of money on," said Nuding. "I order something and the balance goes straight to zero."
