In second grade I spent most of my time with my
best friend Molly. Her dad frequently used computers at work, so she was
one of the first people I knew to have access to the Internet. I can
remember placing two chairs in front of the makeshift desk in her dining room
and waiting for the AOL dial-up to connect, growing more and more excited as
each of the boxes on the loading screen filled and the voice announced, “You’ve
got mail.”
She showed me how she was able to check email and
browse the web and pointed out all the cool features of AOL. At seven I
had no practical use for this new technology, but through the years it became a
bigger and bigger part of my life.
We got our first computer a year or two later and
Molly and I would often use AOL Instant Messenger, or AIM, to keep in contact
at all times of the day, whether we were together or apart. In later years, we
would spend hours in front of the computer (much to the dismay of anyone trying
to call the house) watching music videos on Launch and chatting to our other
friends.
Today, the Internet sometimes makes me feel
limitless. Dial-up connections are now far behind us as broadband speeds
get faster and faster, to the point where I can hardly tell the difference in speeds anymore.
I can Google the answers to any questions I may have, whether it’s the
date of a famous battle in history, the value of pi, or who won the last Super
Bowl. If I don’t know how to properly slice a mango, I can go to YouTube
and watch a video and I can keep in touch with friends from all over the world
on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
The Internet has become my television, my school
and my workplace. Because I also have a
smartphone, any information I need (and a lot that I don't) is always right at
my fingertips, which keeps me logged in almost 24/7.
That constant connection has created a new way for
advertisers to reach me as well. As I
browse for the answers to my many questions or even just stumble around the Internet,
I am constantly bombarded with Internet ads and pop-ups. Recent technologies have allowed companies to
target more specific audiences based on the interests of individuals and the
websites they may visit.
While I am checking my email, I now see
advertisements from the store website I just visited and on Pandora there are
stations made by companies to market their products. Facebook also opens a new
avenue for employers to learn more about employees and for people to remain
connected despite the years or the miles that have kept them apart.
The Internet has changed the way that we interact and I
look forward to seeing where it will take us in the future.
