One Web Day

On September 22nd, 2008 people gathered around the world to create awareness about the internet. Well, apparently they did. I didn’t. And everyone I know didn’t. But hopefully some did, because creating awareness about the internet is an important subject these days, especially for our youth. I constantly hear on the news about children being abducted or harmed by someone they met on the internet. I have even heard of situations of internet bullying that have ultimately led to suicide. I even know people back home (still in high school, quite obviously) that create fake MSN or Facebook accounts just to spread gossip or torment someone they dislike. Not only is it extremely pathetic to see such kids waste their time on such a terrible cause, but it is also a despicable thing to do to another. Because of all the crime that occurs on the internet, I think there should be more days devoted to internet awareness, especially in elementary schools and high schools.
I sometimes wonder how different my life would be if the internet never existed. It would be a sort of Stone Age, almost. I can’t even begin to think of what life would be like without Facebook or Youtube, let alone the internet all together. How would we do information research? Oh, right. Books. Encyclopedias. Remember them? Despite the accuracy found in books, typing in a subject on Google is a hell of a lot easier, even if the resources aren’t 100% legit. If the internet were nonexistent I don’t think I’d have too many friends. Unlike most of my friends while growing up, I never once had an internet friend that wasn’t, at the very least, a friend of a friend. But you know how Facebook works. “Oh, hey, there’s that guy I see everywhere around residence, and I think he might be in one of my classes.” Add. Throughout high school I don’t think I would have met most of my friends at my school who were a year or two older than me if it weren’t for Myspace. The internet has replaced so many activities that I used to have to get up off my ass to do. I can talk to friends and family on the internet, and I can even see them if I wanted to. I can research absolutely anything, whether it’s for school or personal curiosity. I can buy things without going to a store, and even organize delivery of the purchased items. I am constantly learning about new things one can do on the internet, even to date. I just recently found out that people can do their groceries online. Srsly. Is that really necessary? Unless you are paraplegic or suffer from an illness that legitimately makes it difficult to do groceries, GET OFF YOUR ASS.
I wish it were easier to imagine a life without the internet, but unfortunately it is not because of the major influence it has on todays and future cultures. “A world without internet is like a world without sunlight.” Yes, my friend once said that (you probably think I have a lot of stupid friends by now). I’m not quite sure if she was joking or not, but there had to be some truth in it. It’s actually heart-breaking...