Internet: Our Lives Before its Birth
Analyn P. Mendiola
Today we live in the world of computers, smartphones, talking machines, voice commanded appliances and of course the World Wide Web of which many of us know as the Internet. The invention of the Internet has greatly helped people communicate, aided students do research for their school assignments, made our job easier as it is a medium for accessing information and it also became the source of entertainment for people who stays at home especially during this time of pandemic. Ever since the invention of this technology, the world has relied so much on the use of the Cyberspace, so how can we visualize and go back to the era before this ever happened? In this article, we are going to list the things we love, and hate before the invention of the Internet.
1.Before the advent of the internet, the snail mail was the go-to mode for long distance communication. It is when we write using the pen and our personalized paper and deliver it ourselves to the post office.
2.During school days, some of us have to leave our house early just to go to the school library to do our school projects and assignments. This was before we knew Google and only rely to Grolier’s Encyclopedia for information.
3.Many of us experienced listening and waiting for the radio to play our jams, having our blank tapes ready so we can get copies of our favorite songs.
4.Playing games before mostly requires physical activity whether doing our friends, like the classic Piko and Tagu-Taguan.
5.Who else experienced getting lost on their way to their favorite destination during the summer? The very reliable Mr. Juan Magtanong will save our day!
6.Before e-books where created, we can only buy that thick paperback novel we’ve been wanting, in the bookstore. But bringing this type of books elsewhere can be inconvenient since they take up space in our luggages.
7.During the old times, we do not worry about our pictures being easily leaked to the public since producing multiple copies of it takes longer process.
8.Transferring money from one account to another can take time since we need to go to our local banks, bring our passbook with us and wait in line to get transactions done.
9.Buying groceries and shopping in the supermarket. Like banking, this too takes a lot of our time and can be exhausting especially if were buying several items. Driving to our local stores, scanning every shelf in the supermarket and waiting in line to check out the items we bought.
10.Before Tinder and Facebook, wooing our lady loves meant trying to win the approval of the parents first by visiting their homes, giving gifts to the family members and providing service to the parents.
The world before as we observed happen slowly but people interact more physically. Some of us may like the modern times but some may miss how things worked before. But whatever the future gives us, we should be able to adapt and not forget the times when life is simple and yet made us happy in a way.
-o0oThe author is ADAS-III at Schools Division of Pampanga
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