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SIphotography / istock.com
Some of you were born before the internet. You, like me, lived through a period of time when analog was real.
How did we survive?
Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. Saturday. Five days I was without reliable internet. I felt like a limb or a lobe had been cut off. How did we, as a civilization, survive all those years without constant, anywhere internet access?
For five days, I had limited access to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. I haven’t been able to do as much morning reading as I normally do. Work projects were hard to complete with limited connectivity, but that wasn’t the big challenge. The big challenge was the feeling of being cut off from the entire world that seemed almost overwhelming.
Read also: Introducing the Mac mini Pro
I firmly believe the internet (especially broadband and mobile internet) is a transformative, amazing aspect of our modern society, and I certainly wouldn’t want to live without it. But, as I reflect back over the past few days, thinking about the separation anxiety limited access engendered in me, along with all the damage we’ve experienced as a nation from the run-amok aspects of social media, I wonder about the cost to us with all that connectivity and connectedness.
Yes, the internet empowers us in wonderful and astonishing ways. But it’s also warping our minds and making us more than a little crazy. How we reconcile those two facts will be one of the biggest challenges we face as a civilization for years to come.
One final note about Comcast
I’ve had Comcast since October and talked to a bunch of folks who work there, from those in the local store, to call agents, to their techs. This appointment thing was annoying, but in general, I’ve been very happy with the service I get and the people who’ve helped me.
Read also: From paper tape to a patched-together Altair 8800, the story of my first computers
Previous and related coverage
Mosaic turns 25: The beginning of the modern web
25 years ago, the first release of Mosaic web browser appeared and the web, as we know it, began.
Unnecessary Alexa tricks: Controlling a picture frame with your Echo
In a world where a sentient Pringles can listens to our every utterance and grants our every wish (subject to certain restrictions), do we really need to enable even more laziness? Heck to the yeah!
Getting started with Alexa and smart home tech for under $100
It’s hard to believe how much the price of smart home tech has come down. We show a bunch of ways to save money, including a configuration that will let you control five devices with an Amazon Alexa, all for under a hundred bucks total (including the Echo).
You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @DavidGewirtz, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.
Related Topics:
Innovation
Cloud
Internet of Things
Security
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