Life Before the Internet Essay

Comparison-contrast essay It is hard to imagine life before the internet isn’t it? I have been using it half of my life, but today’s generation of children are growing up without ever knowing what it was like. The internet is a wonderful invention that makes life easier. The internet has truly changed the world as we know it. Forever changed are the ways of completing everyday tasks such as schooling, job searching, keeping up with the news of the world and even socializing. Before the internet became established in every home, newspapers and the evening news were the only way to know what was going on in the world around us. Now a days you no longer have to stay awake to watch the eleven o’clock news come on. All you have to now is a few strokes of the keyboard and you can find out what is happening in any part of the world you want. Social networking has also seen a change as technology has progressed. We now have many more options available to keep in contact with friends and family. Although telephones are still commonly used to call Aunt Sue to wish her a happy birthday, websites such as My Space and Facebook have made it increasingly simple to keep up to date on what is going on in loved ones lives. Simply sign on to one of these websites and instant â€Å"status updates† fill the computer screen. You can find out from your living room in Florida that your family member in New York received two feet of snow this morning, and even instantly see the pictures to prove it. In addition to the advantages of Social Networking, students of today are at a great advantage. The convenience of online courses is growing increasingly popular. People no longer have to be in a classroom at a set time and listen to a lecture for three hours by a professor or teacher. Today, you can log on from virtually anywhere or anytime and read and respond to a lecture online. Research for an assignment has also been made easier. Previously, if someone needed to do research, they would have to go to a library and sift through reference books, newspapers, microfiche and other printed materials, then make copies or printouts. With today’s technology, resources like the online library and internet news sites are available to you at the click of the mouse. Job searching and resume posting have become much more painless as well. Instead of looking at classifieds in the Sunday paper and spending the day driving around town with a handful of resumes, you can now go on one of the abundant job search websites like Career Builder. com or Monster. com and post your resume to a perspective employer in minutes, saving great time, effort and gas money. As Mr.  Kuhn stated in The American Economic Review (2004), The use of internet job and recruiting sites is usually free for applicants and much cheaper for firms that traditional advertisements (P. Kuhn, 2004) As time moves forward, it is becoming increasingly difficult to remember what life was like before the internet. For some of today’s youth, the internet in it’s current form has always existed. Gone are the days of waiting, everything is available in an instant, by the click of a mouse, or the stroke of a keyboard. It has made life more convenient and offers many tools to succeed academically, socially, and professionally.