90s Child

     I can remember running home from school and jumping into our computer chair in our tiny office patiently waiting for the dial up Internet to connect. With what seemed like forever I was finally connected and that magical box would soon appear on the upper right corner of my computer screen. This was the box that consisted of names like soccerfan33, or Wildchild090. Yes, it was my buddy list on AOL instant messenger.  This was one of the first times I had used the Internet. I was connecting with friends from school, friends from other schools, and even with family members. This form of communication stayed with me through middle school and high school. Friends were made and lost through AIM.  For me and my friends- or generation- AIM was a big part of our growing up with the Internet. We would communicate homework questions or figure out plans for the weekend with messenger. In addition dangers of talking to strangers online didn’t seem important or even relevant until AIM became so popular. Meeting strangers in chat rooms might have seemed exciting and cool at the time but in today’s world that is one of the most terrifying things for children and parents. Even if we were just talking about a sports team or music group the danger was still there. 

    From when I first started using the Internet to how I use it today, has changed dramatically. My dial up Internet is gone and I am able to be connected within seconds.  AIM is almost in existent in today’s society.  Other forms of social media like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter have taken its place.  Now if I want to connect with friends and family members I can search them on Facebook or another social media site and connect with them in the same way.  I can see what people are doing all day or look at pictures taken on a friend’s vacation or from a past weekend. I can chat with others and comment or like pages.  In a nut shell I can connect with anyone I would like to at any time with the click of a button. This is a little different from back in the day when you could only contact people who were online at that time and only if your Internet connection was being nice that day. The major change is that I am now connected with the world and what’s going on in perfect strangers' lives 24/7. I am not sure however if this is a good thing or bad.  I am constantly being informed about my peer’s lives and basically there is no hiding anything. Our cell phones have now become walking computers that inform us when someone is trying to get in contact with us through many social media sites like Facebook. Being able to communicate every hour of everyday with anyone you please is definitely convenient but can also be very exhausting.
    Times have really changed since i first started using the Internet. While advancements in technology are inevitable as the years go on, sometimes those advancements aren't always positive. Even though communication is made easier through the Internet there are negative aspects of it that affect me today. Overall, however, the Internet has made things i didn't even know were possible, possible.