I’m not too sure how I feel about life without the internet. Well, you wouldn’t be reading this would you? How would you see any of my articles? I’d have to be employed by a magazine or newspaper I suppose, and you’d need to be one of the few thousand that might have access to the publication, but that doesn’t mean you’ll even read it. You might find it by chance, on a page after an advert for margarine or perfume, and then, you’d possibly glance at it and turn the page. You’d be unlikely to ‘search’ for it, unless it’s a reference paper and it’s at your local library. If you liked a story and wanted to pass it on, you’d cut out the column (you’d probably tear it out!) and when you visited your friend, you’d take out the frumpled paper and give them a read. I’d think you’d most likely just remember the best bits and share it in a telephone conversation. Just reading that again makes it hard to imagine how wonderfully we are all connected now and how we ever managed before.
You get a feeling though that the internet was inevitable. We would always have looked for some or other streamlined way to share information, so it’s impossible to imagine that we would have paused at the telephone and felt happy with calling it a day right there. Secretly, I wish that the online experience could be different. In my book, it’s too all-consuming. It’s great to connect, and it’s great to share, but it’s now this super-beast. It’s a haven for trolls and bullies and it seems to breed extremes. From adults preying on kids under false pretense, to a booming porn industry and of course those ridiculous cat videos; so much seems outrageous, if you give it 10 seconds of thought. Actually, it borders on the insane. One of clear solutions is self control. But come on now Brad, it’s not that easy and you know it! Wouldn’t you just love it if, on your most sane day, you ticked a few boxes, selecting a few websites that would serve your life positively and constructively, and then could use only those? Would that work for you to rescue a few constructive hours that could otherwise slip away into an online abyss?
I couldn’t imagine my need to communicate, share audio, video and written content without the internet as we know it now, but I am convinced there is too much I’d love to live without. If you feel the same way about things, drop us a comment below and tell us what online fare you could happily do without.
Have a look at this graphic, it helps put the online universe into a bit of perspective.
