Life Before the Internet

Growing up with the internet has recently become a way of life for most people, me included. The internet is a powerful tool that can be used to find information and to gain knowledge about anything that interests a person. It opens up the world to you, and it satisfies your curiosities.

Prior to the internet, people’s lives were very different. I interviewed my 63 year old mother about her life without the internet. She explained that for all homework assignments or research assignments, libraries and encyclopedias were her “best friends.” She said that, “most people had an encyclopedia at home, but if they didn’t, they had to use the library.” Throughout my mother’s school years and college years, she spent a lot of time in the library.

Instead of playing video games, playing online games or instant messaging friends, my mother filled her free time with visits to the beach, zoo and movies. A major difference is that some children and adults do not go outside, because they are too consumed with their electronics. When asked how she was able to keep in touch with people, she said, “I would telephone them and write letters.”  

Although my mother managed to live 49 years of her life without the internet, she wished that it had been around her whole life. “It makes life so much easier and convenient.” She also explained that she felt that she missed out on a lot of knowledge, because if no one around her new an answer to her question, or if she could not go to the library, she never discovered the answer.

Today, youth and adults can become engulfed with the internet. Dokoupil’s article, “Is the Onslaught Making Us Crazy?” illustrates prime examples of how strongly the mind can be overtaken by the internet. It is important to first realize that habits can be broken, but only if the individual wants those habits to be broken. The problem is that the internet is intriguing and full of possibilities. Because of this, individuals do not want to break internet habits; they do not want to miss a beat. For example, the article discusses Jason Russell who became consumed after his web documentary on Joseph Kony exploded onto the web. After the “madness,” Russel was diagnosed with “reactive psychosis.”

It is astonishing that 50 years ago or even 30 years ago, people could not have imagined these kinds of internet breakdowns. Let alone the internet.