For some younger adults, the internet has been in their lives since the beginning, but others can remember a time before Google, Netflix, Facebook, and Amazon. The internet enhances our lives every day but, as with many technological breakthroughs, there are downsides, including malware, fake news, and cyberbullying.

The negatives have all picked up significantly since 2014, and that hasn't done much to help the internet's reputation. Approximately 70 percent of US adults now characterize the web as good for society, but that's down six points from 2014, according to the Pew Research Center.

Those who viewed societal impacts as positive pointed to easy access to information and the ability to stay in touch with friends and family.

Results were more positive when respondents were asked if the internet had been good for them personally; 88 percent agreed, down 2 percent from 2014.

One redeeming data point for the global network is that consumers who decry the internet are about evenly split as to whether it's a mixed blessing or a bad thing. That's actually a relative improvement versus 2014. Consumers were less likely to report seeing both the good and bad of the online world back then.