It was the 1950’s when we first began to see computers take the spotlight. It took 16+ more years before the Arpanet was introduced. Eventually, the internet began to take on a more personal mask, making it easier to access commodities and services we could not reach before, at least not without a very long drive in most cases. Below are a few tasks and places that are easier to reach, today, because of the internet.
Keeping in Touch With Friends and Family
You would be hard pressed to find a human in the US without access to some sort of social media today. The fact that we can now message a friend or loved one from across the country and even the world, in most cases, keeps us close enough to have daily family reunions if we please. Sharing words of congratulations to a graduating son, videos of baby’s first steps to Grandma and Grandpa, or a chance to instantly work out a disagreement have all been provided by the growing technological prowess of the average Joe.
Discreetly Needed Services
In today’s world, some of the things that grow as the population expands are our crime rates, the number of people with harmful addictions, and this list of embarrassing illnesses and accidents. Technology has allowed us to seek help with each one of these mountains in life without the humiliating task of displaying our wrongs before the world or putting ourselves in grave danger. The internet allows us to do everything from finding the number to a suicide hotline to anonymously turning in a dangerous criminal.
The Ultimate World Wide School
Not so long ago, there were two main ways to learn something. You could go to public or private school or the school of hard knocks. Writing a research paper consisted of countless hours poring over encyclopedias and subject appropriate books. Now, anything you want to learn about is literally as easy as pushing a few buttons. For example, if I want to learn about the efficiency of the wankel/rotary engine, I have but to type it into a search engine and press enter. Immediately, in most cases, I am presented with endless information about the wankel engine; how it is built, the efficiency of it, how it is different from a V8 engine, etc.
It is clear to see that the internet has made our lives fuller and made it easier to keep up with the quickening pace of life. These and many other services and people would not be as easily attained as they are now. It will be interesting to see where this technology, we now see as needed, will shape our future.