What is the Internet?
9-11-2021
The Internet is simply a tool to connect thoughts and ideas with other people. It is a method of communications, just like smoke signals. But in a broader sense it has become how we live our lives. It is possible to live in America with no connection to the internet but it is becoming more and more unlikely. Even my local farmer has an active social media presence telling his followers on a daily basis what is going on at the farm. It has developed his internet presence into a big part of his financial success. His followers have bought into his dream of being a farmer. A few months ago his goats were birthing kids he had to call the vet in twice in one week and at his request people purchased memberships in his farm to help pay the bill. He built an internet community within his actual community.
In the readings this week we were asked to think about the reaction the internet has had on us as individuals. Is the Internet good for our socialization, our mental health and our society? Well, honestly, it doesn’t really matter. It is an unstoppable train, racing down the tracks and we must get on or be left behind. As with any inventions of the past we will make changes as we go to try to keep society on the right path. There are concerns with the chaos and the potential misuses of the web. And we will have to address these concerns. But where would we have been in the last year and a half of Quarantine and the aftermath if it had not been for the Internet? If we had been hit by COVID twenty years ago our response would have been much different. There would have been very little working from home opportunity. Food delivery and entertainment would have looked much different too. And the medical advances that the internet has brought certainly has helped fight the illness. Change and innovations are inevitable. And we will change with them, physically mentally and as a society. And we will work together to keep ourselves progressing together.
