In my opinion, the internet was and is the really big innovation of this generation. It has revolutionized the way we communicate, view media, and retrieve information. I remember the first time my family got an internet connection was in the late 1990's/early 2000's. It was a dial-up connection that, by today's standards, is slow as hell. Websites a decade ago were pretty primitive, mostly just reading and a few pictures, nothing like the interactive sites that we see nowadays.
I consider my generation to be the first one to really understand and utilize the internet. In the last 10 years we have seen the rise of Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Wikipedia. A search engine like Google completely revolutionized how we find information. Need a quick answer to a question you don't know? Google it. Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites have completely changed the way we communicate with each other, letting us both share and view the day to day lives of our friends, acquaintances, and family members. YouTube gave everyone the ability to watch professional videos and post video's of things they are interested in or of just stuff that is going on in their personal lives. Wikipedia, the de facto source of information for most college and high school students, markedly changed the way we informally learn by combining formal news sources with the personal input of Wikipedia users. I think that the internet can largely be considered a democratizing movement, where traditional mediums that were long restricted to certain professionals were suddenly opened to give everyone a voice (i.e. blogging).
The rise of laptops, tablets, and smartphones is the next step in the internet revolution. Instead of having to go to a computer lab, or your home computer, you can literally take the internet and all of your information with you wherever you want to go. Most smartphones and tablet's are basically micro-computers that have all of the capabilities of laptops and desktops, but have the distinct advantage of super-portability.
The internet has definitely changed the way we approach many things. Things like sending letters and researching at the library are things of the past. I feel it has changed society as a whole. I feel that if social media were not to arise civic engagement would still be at an all-time low. Policy changes have occurred through Facebook. The movement Kony 2012 helped to raise awareness of an issue and in October 2011 Obama helped by sending 100 military advisors to Uganda.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree on this with you because I feel that the internet has also completely changed the way our generation today works. Search engines such as Google and other have made individuals so dependent on the internet for resources that they do not even make as much use of books anymore. Social networking websites on the other hand have helped the world become a smaller place with people being able to interact with those who loved ones who are faraway. Beyond all this, smartphones are absolutely amazing because they come with a great compatibility, allowing people to have access to all this greatness at their hand.
ReplyDeleteI think the internet is becoming more and more powerful each year. Just recently, I read that funding for the post offices has decreased dramatically and many people are now losing their jobs. On the other hand, life for most of society has become easier with the help of the internet. I use my phone for everything: to look up direcetions, email professors, talk to friends, look at pictures, find recipes, ect. I think its exciting to see how much "better" technology and the internet will become in the next couple years.
ReplyDelete