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October 29th has celebrated worldwide, each year since 2005, as the world internet day. On this day, in the year 1969, the first electronic message was sent from one computer to another making it a very momentous day in the history of telecommunications and technology. This event happened only a few months after the first man stepped on the moon, and needless to say that year saw great feats achieved by mankind. The internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching, using standard IP (Internet Protocol).
Now, the Internet has become one of the most important parts of our life. Most of us cannot think of spending one day without internet. So, this International Internet Day let’s see some of the ways this common commodity has changed everyday life forever.
1. Easy Communication
You may not think twice about sending that WhatsApp forward or email but the fact that our messages get sent to another human being who may be anywhere in the world within a matter of milliseconds is kind of mind-boggling. After all, this was a major reason for the invention of the internet in the first place, to connect the world virtually and the technology has only improved over the years.
Currently, you are able to send not just messages but complex encrypted information and more practically video call your cousin abroad through the internet. Most of us can’t even think about communication before the internet (a quick Google search tells me there were things like telegrams and letters which took weeks and sometimes months to be delivered). And what about social media, the literal centre of our millennial lives, let’s just leave that as a special mention. Also, what are phone books?
2. Content Consumption
Newspapers are no longer the only source of news; we can access any kind of information and get momentary updates of what's happening around the world. It’s not even just the news, other media outlets like YouTube, Netflix, have completely changed how we consume content with creators pumping out new stuff every day like there isn’t enough already. Medical information has also been made more public which is again a debatable benefit or boon. You no longer have to visit the doctors and wait for an appointment as a simple google search of your symptoms can reveal a definitive result, depending on the reliability of your source.
3. Shopping/Banking
The internet has revolutionized the shopping and buying industry for better or for worse. From getting pizza to buying a refrigerator, and the fact that you can do both at the same time if you wanted to, there seems to be no reason to leave the house if anything can be done from the ease of a screen.
Transferring money takes just a click which is so much better than standing in lines for hours at the bank. Shopping online itself has become a fad of sorts, from constant sales to the latest offerings being put up the second they’re available, some may find this a convenience while some may argue it’s killing local businesses. Whatever your stance maybe there is no escaping this era with all the ads that are pushed, the vouchers and the reward points that are at your disposal of one quick motion.
4. Studying
As students, textbooks aren’t are the only source of learning available to us anymore. With online resources like eBooks, tutorials, online courses, learning has become more accessible and available to more people. This makes us more aware and globally connected by providing different perspectives on the same topic from around the globe.
5. Creation of Jobs
The internet has also brought on a new wave of employment in this previously unexplored territory. The conventional jobs of yesterday have also been upgraded. Jobs like being a content creator, online advertiser or an influencer and so many more opportunities have come up in the past decade alone. Finding jobs as well has become easier, with companies recruiting people through online applications and interviews.
6. Language
Something nobody could’ve predicted was how our daily language would be affected by the internet. With online platforms having a cultural influence as they do, new words and expressions have made their way into our lingo that wouldn’t have made sense a couple of years ago. Memes and vines referenced daily make the same language seem foreign to older people which a rather funny yet interesting phenomenon you could observe around you.
This in no manner is an exhaustive list and there are so many other fields that the internet has revolutionized but you could start here and probably this will help you see your own internet consumption in a new light. So, take care of your WIFI’s and data packs, use them well because they are the window to your world.
With a great power like the internet at your fingertips, comes great responsibility to use it intentionally. Happy World Internet Day!
- Written by Vidhi Gupta
- Edited by Maitreyi Mehndiratta
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