The VPN (Virtual Private Network) is an essential tool for today’s Internet use. We know how important and integral the Internet has become to our lives, from shopping or banking to gaming, to relationships—a safe experience on the Internet is a must for every single one of us. In the past it was perhaps seen as the purview of the various Internet providers or large corporate entities to protect the average Internet user. Those days are gone. So, why should you invest in a VPN in 2024?
Safety First, or maybe Speed…
What many everyday Internet uses are looking for in a VPN is connectivity, first and foremost with excellent speeds as standard. There is no point it using a VPN if your Internet use is hampered by an extra, tangible layer. In many ways VPNs should be invisible. They should be useful, always on, and have no detriment or hindrance to the experience while using it.
Apptitude
Something else that you may wish to look for when choosing a VPN is a selection of apps for computer, TV set-top boxes, tablets and mobile devices. They all need to be incredibly easy to use experiences, from the moment you select your VPN to its activation. It needs to be as easy, transparent and seamless as possible. You need a VPN that works just as well on your desktop computer as your tablet or your mobile phone. Many of the large VPN companies do just this with iOS apps joining desktop apps and, of course, if you’re on mobile or have one of the many Android-based boxes you can get Surfshark for Android as well.
Privacy Matters
Like any online service that you and your family use every single day, protecting yourselves, your personal information, gaining access to information and services that, because of where you live, may not be as available, is ever more important. But it’s privacy, more than almost anything else, that is the number one reason why users look for a VPN. Encryption of your Internet traffic is an essential element to your online presence in 2024. It’s just good common sense.
Why now?
Perhaps in the past VPNs were seen as a luxury, or something that could be seen as optional if you were online a lot. But that’s not something that happens now. We spend so much of our time online, and so much more information is given over to various parties on the Internet, that we need the strongest and most efficient level of protection. Many people have begun to see VPNs as something akin to virus checkers in that they are all but essential to safeguard yourself and to maintain an element almost of control because that’s something that, in the 4th decade of common domestic Internet use, seems almost quaint.
Changing Times
As the Internet is a truly global experience it is a shame that, as it has grown, boundaries have developed to access certain ranges of information that’s available to users. Being able to change your geographic location via a VPN is an excellent way of circumnavigating some of these boundaries. It puts the choice in your hands. For many users it’s a question of choice.
In the old, Wild West, days of the Internet your information being given up was fairly basic and not a primary concern. Now it seems you can’t look online without every element of your personal Internet experience and use being monitored, measured and used to be fed back to you in the form of personalised shopping suggestions or targeted e-mails. Getting a VPN is something like going back to the old days where you didn’t have to worry about every click, or you didn’t have to think about think too hard about the sorts of places you go on the Internet.
Things to note
One thing to bear in mind is that if you use a VPN with some of your Internet accounts it may throw up a problem if it thinks you’re in two countries at once. But that’s easily sorted by most modern VPNs; it’s part of the modern VPN Internet experience that you’ll need to take into account. For protecting your data and your identity, for ensuring that your online privacy is as strict and as strong as can be, and if you want to be able to travel to all corners of the Internet safely that there’s no reason not to get yourself a VPN in 2024.
What a VPN does, and the attraction to many users, hasn’t changed an awful lot in the past 10, 20 years. The online world is always evolving, always changing – often to the detriment of the user. Your experience could be hampered by aggressive sales tactics from various corporate interests, or your identity and other kind of forms of security might be at risk from various nefarious groups who prey on the unwary and I’m protected citizens of the Internet. Wherever the threat comes from, the VPNs on the market at the moment are always looking to increase the advancement of encryption methods authentication mechanisms everything they can do, wild remaining affordable to the customer, to deal with these various threats.
Header Photo by Privecstasy on Unsplash
