I was not there when internet did not excist yet

Posted on May 30, 2023 by obligingworldviewer

Daily writing prompt

Do you remember life before the internet?

Lots of people today have no idea at all how people would have done it without internet. Everything seems so logical with those handy tools, like smartphones, iPad, tablets, and personal computers, which bring the world into our house, car, or plane.

We cannot imagine how we would tackle our life, which is nicely laid out by many applications which are currently presented to us. Many of those apps make life so much easier.
Today it is inconceivable not to have word processors, spreadsheets, database management, inventory and payroll programs, and many other “applications.”

But where are we standing in a world where machines seem to take over more and more?

It is true I would not exist if modern electronica did not exist and technology made it possible to keep me alive. Many other youngsters also would already be long gone before they ever could have made something of their life.

Everything changed so quickly the last few decades. Not so long ago people even spoke of flip phones, to be exchanged or swapped with black berry’s (a brand of smartphones and other related mobile services and devices). Today we seem to have come into a world of “swapping“.

So, I shall be careful not to be swapped or swiped away, by some other new invention coming soon to surprise us in this world of electronic or information age.

Today, many people cannot live without their smartphones and connection to the internet. Their eyes hardly leave the screen, even when they are driving they still use the little thing that they cannot live without, against the traffic rules. They have become part of the internet connection, as if they would not be able to exist without it.

I can imagine how, before the internet, everybody appreciated face-to-face interaction. Today, many of the newer generations have to miss that, because so many are more interested in making virtual friends than making real-life friends.

Isn’t modern technology keeping previously valued elements and face-to-face interactions out of our reach?

I now have to make do with a world where there seems to be little room for personal contact, but where we have all become dependent on Internet-connected machines like smartphones and mini-computers.

I wonder how different our lives would be if we hadn’t had all those fast-speed connections with people around the world and had, like in the previous century, to wait days or even weeks, for some news from far away. Many might think that exposure to the infinite possibilities of the internet is a blessing, but I think it also could well be a curse. (Just look at the modern warfare going on in Ukraine and Russia.)

Though, I would have not been here, would not have seen so many beautiful parts of the world. I would also have missed out on exploring new cultures and customs and would have missed learning so many things. Yes, I would not even be able to “speak” to people I do not know. Thanks to the internet, these words may flow over land and oceans, and arrive somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

For sure, life before the internet would have been vastly different and much more relaxed. But now with all the modern technology and internet facilities many people who would have lesser chances, may now also enjoy lots of opportunities and be part (again) of the world of living people.

Preceding

Standing at the site or being involved