One Web Day

Mood: Not gonna lie, a little bit stressed.
Currently Listening to: Dancing - Elisa



How HASN'T the internet changed my life? That really should be the question being asked. I know that I simply cannot function in my day without checking my e-mail(s)and Facebook at least once. It's pathetic, and I'm fully aware of it. That's one of the reasons why I loathe going on family vacations - I can't check my e-mail. And I refuse to spend $5 to check my e-mail on a shitty little hotel computer that's Wireless internet is slower than my 82 year old grandmother - and she's had both her knees replaced. (Please note: my grandmother, Margaret, is actually the most lively and 'hip' 82 year old woman I've ever met. I'm just using the phrase figuratively. She watches Da Ali G Show. I'm not kidding.)

Take, for example, my experiences in Costa Rica. I traveled to Costa Rica this past March with about 30 students from my school. It was a cultural experience, filled with palm trees, plantain, beans and rice, exotic animals - you name it. We also stayed at about 5 different hotels, each of which had internet access. You'd better believe that there was a line up every night to use one of the two computers - after you paid your 5000 colones for 10 minutes worth of internet time. (5000 colones=$10) Yeah, I probably spent about $50 checking my email. But was it worth it? Hell yes! I was kept up to date with my friends back at home, accepted a paying peformance job for a wedding and saved myself from going through 70 emails when I returned after one week of vacation!

But that's disgusting. The internet has become the #1 source for communication today. Yes, I could have picked up the telephone and call home. Yes, I could have waited a week to see what my Facebook wall looked like. But in a North American world where we're accustomed to having the internet so readily available, it's become a norm. That's all there is to it. Because it's so convenient, it has become such a large instrument in communication.

Don't get me wrong when I use words like 'disgusting'; information and communication technology, such as the internet, are incredible. They are ridiculously significant in the 21st century. Like I said, the internet is a norm. Everyone uses it. In most cases, it's a very reliable source for accessing information regarding anything, literally. Going to the library and using books for sources on essays is a prehistoric concepts. You tell a 14 year old in grade 9 to go to the library to do research. They'll look at you like you have facial herpes. They're so accustomed to using the internet for research and the like, that taking information from an actual book is unheard of.

The internet is such a valuable tool for communication, as well. MSN, Facebook, Skype and other countless communication devices make it so much easier (and cheaper!) to communicate with friends and family. I've talked to my parents and friends on a 'Video Call' very frequently this year instead of picking up the phone. Hey, it's cheaper than calling. And because it's cheaper and readily available, it's much more convenient to use.

I find it funny that there was day devoted to creating awareness about the Internet. Who doesn't know that there's such a thing as the Internet? I mean really, c'mon. Seriously? One would hope that it was regarding issues that the Internet causes - identity theft, viral invasion, those types of things. It's just really fascinating to me that the Internet has changed the world as we know it, and continues to do so every day, with new updates and more innovative add-ons. I question whether or not in another 18 years if technological Internet developments will change our world further. At the rate we're going at, I'd say we're going to live in a completely different world when I'm 36. Good grief.