We've been musing about this topic for a while – how the internet has changed our lives – and thought we'd talk it over. I mean what was life like before the internet? There are several generations of people walking around that have never been without it. Can you imagine? They've never had to break out an encyclopedia or use microfiche in a library. Yep, we're showing our age! So, let's examine the ways it has influenced us.
Research and News
Rarely do you see people reading an actual newspaper these days. We don't watch news on tv either but get it off the web. It's so easy to pull up an article or scroll through the headlines. And you can get news from numerous sources, so if you don't feel you're getting the full story, then you can pull a topic up and read it from another outlet. You can also do research on various topics to get what you need. One thing that's helpful now is medical information. You can access a diagnosis and its causes and concerns from anywhere you are including the actual doctor's office while you wait. Makes it easier to ask questions. Now sometimes you can fall down a real rabbit hole doing this research but isn't it helpful just to be able to do it at all?
Social Media
One of the most fun things about the internet is social media. You can keep up with your friends and their adventures every day. It's fun to see their daily lives with work, vacations, children, and special moments. You can also put out your thoughts and images on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even podcasts. Podcasts are cool because they can be on just about any topic under the sun. Social media has also seen the rise of influencers who tell you everything from books to read to places to eat or interesting places to travel to. A lot of them share fashions you can find too and where to shop. Social media can help you make connections to people you may never meet in real life yet develop friendships that last. Thus, making life richer.
The Arts
Once upon a time we had to rely on word of mouth about an art exhibit or see a flyer or read about it in a newspaper. Now, we can see details of an event we didn't know about that becomes a must-see event. We can read an artist's background and all about their work. It's one of the many perks of the internet. From photography exhibitions to painters to art installations, you can learn what's in your city. And you don't even have to attend in person for everything. A lot of exhibitions and festivals are virtual events now. So many ways to experience the arts! Shopping for artwork is more readily available through online shops and galleries to auctions to online photography proofs. Supporting artists has never been easier.
So Many Ways to Communicate
We're not even about to start listing off the many ways to communicate the internet has ushered in. Instead, we'll talk about 3 cool things – virtual meetings, volunteering, and learning new skills.
Meetings
It thrills us to no end that we can set up meetings and link to each other via our laptops but how much greater is it that we can link to millions if we want to? How about virtual meetings? You know you want to wear your pj shorts and slippers to that marketing review along with your favorite hot beverage. Virtual meetings have become the thing with their ability to connect large groups and avoid problems like commuting. You can huddle up in your cool home office and do that presentation without ever having to start up the car.
Volunteering
Volunteering used to involve a lot more work. You'd have to sign up for a shift in person and participate in person too. Now, there are virtual sign up sheets that allow you to edit your volunteering details too. So no more worrying about running down to the volunteer site to change up sign up information. Volunteering can also be done virtually now. Don't have time to drive to an organization? You might be able to man an email center and answer questions from interested patrons all from home. Maybe volunteering to teach a class is your thing? The flexibility of the internet has made volunteering for a greater cause more of a reality and eases the burden of the volunteer organization. The greater good.
Learning New Skills
It's pretty self-explanatory. You can hop online and learn how to cook that new dish you like or figure out a yoga pose you saw on a morning show. The internet opened up a classroom to everything. You can also teach others simply by sharing your links and tutorials to social media. There are endless possibilities to learning new skills.
Shopping
You want it you got it online. Buy a car from a virtual vending machine. Shop on Prime Day for all of your camping supplies. Research that laptop you want and find the best price. Find your own personal wardrobe stylist and have outfits delivered ready to wear. Whatever you want you can find it online. It's mind boggling.
Decide to write a blog and need a domain name for your new website? Shop online. Research and buy by making informed decisions or have fun by making random purchases. The internet has made it all possible. One of the best effects of online shopping has been the ability to find smaller independent merchants to patronize. Vendors that didn't have a chance of getting their goods out to the wider world before the internet. We love Etsy – an online indendent artist marketplace. Google that item and support big and small merchants or whatever retailer you like. You do it because you can.
Travel
Sure, sure we all know you can look up vacation fares and places to stay because we see the endless travel ads. We're talking about virtual travel. Last year we went to Salem, Massachusetts for Halloween and also toured Richmond, Virgiinia on an Edgar Allan Poe themed trip. All through Heygo a virtual travel event site. You register for free, sign up for your tours, enjoy them, and tip the tour guides what you like. This October we're doing the spooky tours of Victorian London. It's a fun way to tour parts of the world you might never get to in person and do it on an affordable budget. While we are on the subject of travel, we have to tell you about Atlas Obscura. It's an online curated travel magazine that's written by everyone. You can apply to be a contributor and get your articles curated. It's the coolest database of places off the beaten path and you'll find out about hidden travel destinations to quirky restaurants to obscure artcles on civilizations. A little bit of everything around the world in one place. Tell the world about your experience. How fun is that?
The internet walked in and changed all of our lives in profound ways. These are only some of the changes. In a nutshell, it has connected us. It's up to us to take what we learn and apply it. It can be as deep as finding a medical procedure we think would help us to something light like a new skull shaped night light. What will you Google today? Tell us in the comments how it's made your life better. What do you use it for?
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