Nowadays, the Internet plays a significant role in our everyday lives. If you had to pick only one word to describe your interaction with the Internet, “connected” would be the perfect choice.
If you grew up in the 1990s, you remember the sound of a dialling modem and the slow reveal of the web pages, one pixelated line at a time. Ah, those were the days where a page could take up to several minutes to load, and we didn’t care! Many of us probably experimented with our first ASCII smileys in those days. Semicolon hyphen right bracket if you were cheeky.
While those days are long gone, they were the beginning of a small revolution. And you were part of it! We are, day after day, connected to each other through the world wide web. It’s fair to say that the Internet has already changed our lives a lot. Things you can do in a click, such as passing an order online, used to take weeks a few decades ago. But, more to the point, the Internet is going to change the society of the future if we let it.
As much as we value our individuality, online, we are a huge community that can reach out to each other. Of course, trolls can’t be avoided, but they are not what the Internet is made of. More often than not, we are surprised by the positivity and generosity of the online world. Social media platforms have hundreds of tales of good deeds that have happened online under our very eyes. Strangers help a child reunite with their lost toy. A bullied girl is surrounded by waves of support and positive messages. Even people who share a common interest can come together to make their dream come true, which is how people on social media managed to save their favourite TV show, Lucifer, from oblivion. There’s a sense of unity that goes beyond borders and makes us become part of a bigger world. Perhaps, the future passports will be issued for one country only: Planet Web.
Who cares that you’re in a wheelchair if you’ve got a smart home that can do everything you need for you? Is your social anxiety an obstacle if you can work from home? The Internet is transforming our perception of handicaps. All you need is to check the best broadband deals in your area, and you’re ready to let the Internet of Things do its magic. Connectivity and speed are crucial to alleviating the obstacles that physical or mental health can lay. Who knows? Will the word “handicap” still exist in the future?
If speaking foreign languages isn’t your thing, you can rest assured that the Internet is changing the way we interact for good. A palette of gifs, emojis, and old-school ASCII smileys replaces everyday words. On top of that, translating apps and video calls extend our communication skills, without even needing to learn a foreign language. Is the Internet becoming the new Esperanto?
The Internet makes us feel more connected to each other. We learn to behave as a community, see past the differences and speak the same online language, even though we all lead unique lives. And perhaps, if we try, we can help the Internet reach its full potential for good.