Where would we be without the Internet?

How the internet changed my life...

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like without the internet—without quick answers and easy communication tools like email and instant messenger—then I picture my mother: a completely technology deprived woman. My mother has never used a computer competently and without assistance in her life. I frequently refer to her as computer illiterate. My grandmother can easily send us picture and emails, and yet my mom has a hard time finding the “on” switch. If she needs instructions to get somewhere: she asks me. If she needs an answer or definition: she asks me. If she needs anything information-related: she asks me. She could use a map or dictionary, but she doesn’t. Instead, she asks me, and it’s not because she loves to chat. My mom, who may not know how to turn a computer on, knows that it is faster for me to use the internet to find the answers to her questions than it is for her to find a map or dictionary around our house—a lot faster.

Growing up in our society, it would be taboo for me to not know how to use a computer. It is assumed in today’s society that everyone can use a computer. If you don’t own a computer, then it’s time to get into the 21st century. This is the information age! Without all the technology we have today, how would we communicate with each other? What would it be like in a world without cell phones, computers, iPods, and television? Sometimes I think that’s where my mother would be the one to ask.