Has the internet helped traders to make better decisions?

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Case 1: Hell, Yes!

Henry Trader wakes up one day and asks “what is my broker giving me that I can’t find on the net?” Am I getting some privileged info? “Why am I still on the phone on hold with my “shmuck” broker calling my own shots, paying triple commissions, and getting no advice?”.
Time and information are the two things that have changed everything for traders.
Traders want data, news and facts in real time as they access search engines mammoths like Google, social media applications like blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc… that are capable of delivering real time info to investors. Above all, some are experts in their field that deliver the info in real time. The days of brokers getting privileged information are over. Everyone has access to almost everything they’ll need to trade.
Cost and fast execution have added to the growth of online brokerage where traders get to execute with low latency while paying very low fees. Platforms today carry advanced features of back testing, automated strategies, trailing stops, contingent orders etc. This is something that no human can execute simultaneously for multiple sophisticated investors.
So Viva la Independence! Henry Trader can now control his own destiny without any “tips”. He sits, he learns, he is a thinker. He is independent.

Case 2: The not so obvious.

Giving Henry Trader access to the net and a trading platform is equivalent to giving him also root canal kit to fix his own teeth. Platforms as feature rich as they might be don’t come with a “Risk Management” kit and traders can be really poor decision makers when it comes to handling losses. Sometimes winning trades can be just as easily overwhelming and emotionally draining as losing trades.
The question to ask is how many truly utilize any given methodology and then apply it as designed; how many “shoot from the hip” while the rest are being scammed into auto trading of “Red Light/Green light” extravaganzas, not to mention the rumor spreading forums, trading rooms ruled by amateur traders who share “knowledge” with one another.
The online discount brokers will keep running ads for a long time to continually replace the Henry Traders that simply blow their account.

The Solution
Just decide which group you belong to and make your decision. If you want and are willing to learn then you get better educated; if you’re hands off and don’t have time to trade, maybe you need a good automated program or maybe you just need to change your trading platform. You are the master of your trades.