Since Internet has been a constant

Since Internet has been a constant in my life (at least since my early teens) I'm not sure if I can provide a before-and-after piece. But I can surely tell how my life would be incomplete without the Internet -

1. Exposure to the world around me - Being an avid reader, I might have been able to do that otherwise as well, but most certainly not to the extent that I currently have. And I just don't refer to pop culture when I talk about exposure, I talk about world politics, global issues and everything that comes along with it. Access to global voices about important issues besides the local opinions would have been rather difficult (wouldn't say impossible) without the kind of power that I have via my cellphone or my laptop.

2. Experiencing true democracy - This is one thing that I admire the most and consider to be sacrosanct about the Internet - the inherent democratic nature of this medium. This is one place where every voice and action - no matter how grave or insane it might be (perspective matters of course) - has a place. Sure, it's grown wild and people who think of themselves as democratic leaders are using this as a premise to reign it in. I don't know the extent of dilution this democratic nature of the Internet will face, and maybe it does need some of those measures, but it really made me realize the value of democracy and free speech, something that I take for granted in my country. Considering the role Internet has had in the 2007 Burmese anti-government protests and the Arab Spring, one cannot help but think of this institution as the last bastion of free speech and all efforts must be made to preserve at least the basic structure of the same.

This point is particularly extended to online education portals like Coursera - enough praise cannot be showered upon Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng for this excellent initiative. Now everyone can or will be able to take a top quality course in their favorite disciplines from some of the best in the world. Now that's what I call equitable (well, near equitable) distribution of resources.

3. E-commerce and Internet Banking - Seems like a redundant point but the fact is that I haven't been inside a bank in almost two years, besides the day I opened my account. And I'm not quite sure what my life would be like without E-commerce websites - particularly online bookstores.

4. Music & Pop Culture - Another seemingly redundant benefit - but well deserving of its own numbered point. And I just don't refer to the music & pop culture of the English speaking world. Without the Internet, I wouldn't have known anything about say, K-Pop for instance (which is much much more than Psy) or this wonderful band from Mali called Tinariwen. Of course resources like MySpace, YouTube, Spotify and 8tracks need a mention here.

Special mention to websites like Upworthy and Cracked.

5. Jon Stewart - Yeah! I haven't had any access to TV for almost four years so I have to rely on the The Daily Show website for my weekly dose of satire (which I don't quite get sometimes but I always end up happier than I was 22 minutes before the episode started).

6. Google Maps - For somebody as hopelessly abysmal with directions and maps as I am, it's a godsend tool.

And now to balance this post. some negatives -

1. The urge to Google everything - It has become an obsession and I'm a slave to that impulse.

2. The daily battles with bad grammar - While I'm sure that my post is by no means grammatically perfect, it's golden compared to the filth you get to see on Internet forums.And that just irritates me.

These are the one's that are on the top of my mind - I'm sure there are more and I'll add them when they occur to me.

Written 21 Sep, 2013 • View Upvotes