Look what the Internet “killed”
London’s Telegraph newspaper recently took a look at the way we work, play and even think; and in the process came up with a list of 10 traditions the Internet has “killed.” Very interesting …
Here are some (the snide comments are mine): letter writing (an obvious one, what with e-mail and all); telephone directories (you know that big, fat book with the teeny, tiny print?); music stores (can you say download?); photo albums (the kind where you take the printed photos and put them in between the clear, sticky sheets); newspapers (I’ve already said enough about that one); memory (who needs to remember anything when you can Google); and my favorite … doing nothing (even when walking down the street, people are checking iPhones, texting, etc.; it’s hard to “stop and smell the roses” when you do that)
Since this topic was right up my alley (being the “back in the day” girl and all), I thought up some others … encyclopedias and library card catalogues (have all but gone away with the advent of Google); video stores (not when you don’t have to leave home to get a video – or more importantly bring it back); bills (paying online means never having to hunt around for a stamp); shopping (again, you don’t have to leave the house with Amazon, eBay and dozens of other online sources available); sending greeting cards (have you seen the prices of one lousy, little card lately – $3.99!); the post office (just recently in the news about all the closings, since clearly nobody is sending those obsolete letters or bills through snail mail anymore); getting directions (that’s what MapQuest is for); dating (meet the love of your life online); and spelling/grammar (what happened to the English language anyway? how r u?).
All that doesn’t even take into consideration all the social media by products of the Internet i.e. mySpace, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. Now I’m not saying we revert back to the way we were, but it is sure does bring to light just how much the “times they are a changin’.” (If you don’t recognize the lyrics, Google it!)
Anyway, you get the idea; can you come up with any others?
5 Comments
Omar
Internet sucks. Its too time comsuming and takes out the Natural way of things. FACEBOOK & MYSPACE= BAd
Sue
I must be a dinosaur in disguise: I still write–yes, hand write–letters and notes, send greeting cards, have one whol entire room in my home devoted to the family photo albums project and have ‘do nothing” scheduled into regularly into my calendar!
I vote for the most heinous crime against humanity being the demise of the proper use of the English language. So much meaning, nuance and subtlety is lost with sloppiness–and our lives become poorer and flatter.
Mary
Great post! How about connecting with people from your past! Funny how in my mind I can remember with warm feelings those baby faces / long hair / skinny / chubby / whatever-they-looked-I-wonder-what-is-the-life-of… old friends. Then, you search their names on facebook and there they are! Wow! surprise surprise. Can I go back and keep them in my mind forever young? It is shocking to realize they may be thinking the same about me and yes, it has been that long since we went to high school together. As I scroll down the news feed in facebook sometimes I wonder the effects of knowing first hand what my “old” friends are doing now. Where will all that nostalgia go?
JD Ospina 10/15/09 12:46 am
What a great list! Our generation has definitely has gone through a paradigm shift and yet most of us haven’t even noticed how much has changed from just ten years ago. Here’s a couple more examples of how the internet has changed society that I’ve had on the back of my mind:
1) Crime- with so much sensitive financial information flying through the internet, its no wonder that new age criminals are hitting the web and learning how to intercept the millions of dollars masqueraded as 1’s and 0’s!
2) Health- There are websites online on which you can self-diagnose any possible discomfort you may presently feel with your body. Moreover, there is a wealth of information concerning nutrition, fitness and psychological help available instantly. How many of these resources are reliable anyways?
3) Education-Online college degrees-really!