It's a balancing act, isn't it?

PROS
On the one hand, we have so much more access to so much stuff that we could never dream of buying. We have the ability to nibble a track here and there, rather than diving blind, headlong, into an artists vast catalogue. We can hear something, and within a few hours be reasonably well-versed in a genre we didn't know very much about.

CONS
But then there's the dark side of things, where perhaps we don't give records a chance or get caught up in a crowd of people recommending something which in a few months time they won't even be able to remember the name of, let alone hum the melody. There's the fact artists are finding it hard to make a living unless they become entertainers or write songs for cheese adverts. Then there's choice paralysis when you can't remember what you want to listen to, so just end up listening to Prince all three discs of Hits and there's your day gone...

ON BALANCE
I'd say the internet is a good thing, but call some place paradise, and they'll put up a parking lot.

For slightly more coherent thoughts on this topic, read this: http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4146264-modem-life-is-rubbish--unplug-to-save-your-love-of-music