Web crashes take a big toll

Everyone, from teenagers constantly on IM to the executives hooked on their BlackBerrys have become dependent on the Internet. Virtually, every enterprise relies on the web to communicate, to transit or find information and to do business in this digital age.

So when there is a glitch or a failure, it seems like a disaster. Everything stops. No one can function. In the past few months, technology companies like Yahoo, Amazon.com and Research in Motion--the company behind the BlackBerry--all have suffered embarrassing technical problems. The New York Times suggests the consequences of such inevitable breakdowns will only loom larger with plans by Internet companies to make us even more dependent.

Companies like Google want us to store not just email online, but also spreadsheets, photo albums, sales data and nearly every other piece of personal and professional information. "That data is supposed to be more accessible than information tucked away in the office computer or filing cabinet," the newspaper said. But the story adds that the problem is that this requires web services to be available around the clock; even the Internet's biggest companies sometimes have trouble making that happen.

For more on our Web addictions:
- check out the New York Times article