Jibberish

I began using the Internet at the age of about 8, the year 1996, when my older sister introduced AOL Instant messenger and MSN Hotmail to me. At that time, the only purpose of using the computer was to play old school computer games. While thinking that screen name creation process was exciting, I was not aware that these two services could impact the rest of my life. The Internet has and will continue to have a drastic impact to my life. Except for special occasions (vacations, family emergencies, or illness), I have used the Internet about every day of my life. Besides using the Internet for leisure, it is also a resourceful tool for education and personal curiosity. The Internet will never be extinct in the future and I will always be connected to it every day for the rest of my life.
Since there was no real need for internet in my childhood, I used it for only these few purposes. The largest impact the Internet had on my childhood would be fulfilling my personal curiosity. If I had a question my mother or father could not answer, I would find my answer online. I learned many facts that I would not have learned without the Internet. Another impact would be communicating with others. In my childhood (up until high school) I used AIM as a primary communication device, since I did not have a cell phone. It was a way to build my social and communication skills, while developing my typing accuracy at the same time. E-mail was another way of communicating with my friends. Although I did not use it that much, I still checked it daily and primarily used it to receive account confirmations for certain registration activations. Usually, I was not only on the computer to be connected to AIM or Hotmail. I would also be surfing on Internet Explorer, playing Math Blaster, and maybe typing on Microsoft Word at the same time. Because the Internet opened another computer task for me, it had a slight impact in developing my multi-tasking skills. When researching, multiple windows of Internet Explorer were open as well as Word. Research was the most important use of the Internet in my childhood. It was the only tool for me to find information about Siamese Twins when the dreadful eighth grade research paper came. E-mail and online-researching had a greater role when I entered high school.
In high school, I created a Gmail account and used e-mail more seriously. E-mail was used for communicating with teachers, family, organizations outside of school, and employers. The largest impact of the Internet in my high school career was joining social networks. I first had a Xanga, which I updated almost every day. Having a Xanga has really helped me become more comfortable expressing myself. At first my blogs were short, consisting of a few sentences. Later on, my posts were more lengthy and included pictures. I also enjoyed commenting on other people’s Xangas. After Xanga, I created a MySpace account. It did not do much except allow me to express my creativity. Also, I played with HTML code in order to edit different background colors and styles. MySpace was not too helpful in socializing with other people, since it was so disorganized. It was difficult to find a specific person even if that person was your friend. Then came Facebook. The only social network that I still use is Facebook. It was a huge impact on my life because it gave me an urge to get on the computer and check it constantly. Also, since notifications of wall posts, friend requests, photo tags, photo comments, messages, group invitations, and event invitations were sent via e-mail, I started to check my e-mail a lot more often. Facebook has helped me socialize with people and communicate with them even when there was nothing important to say. Also, it was a good way to organize my photos and make them viewable online. I also had my cell phone number and screen name on my Facebook so people could contact me in other ways. Social networking was not the only use of the Internet in my high school years.
Even though dial-up internet was the only connection in our household, the lag and slow speeds did not prevent me from experiencing online gaming. I found a Half-Life CD-key online and began playing Counter Strike version 1.6. It was very difficult at first but that was what made the game addictive. I immediately fell in love with this game and played it for hours every day. It was the very first time I had played a video game with people I did not know over an online connection. I enjoyed the possibility of playing a multiplayer game whenever desired, instead of getting a group of friends together.
Researching was obviously a big part of high school papers. Information could be found easier and quicker than searching in a library. I remember that there would be a minimum requirement for certain research papers for physical sources. I would find the minimum amount of books and list them in my bibliography but would never use them. The Internet was so much easier to use and had much more information. Not only was researching on the internet used for educational purposes, but I also researched for my first car. I compared car after car, looking at engine specs, performance specs, prices, colors, miles, and wheels. Even though I never shopped online, I never needed to look around in stores. I would do all the research and comparisons of different products and make my decision prior to purchasing in the store.
One of the most important uses of the Internet is applying online. Online applications are quicker, more convenient, legible, and ensures no missed fields. I applied for my first job at the Hershey Lodge on the Hershey jobs website. I also applied for Penn State online. I would also apply for other schools online, but Penn State was the only school I applied to. I applied for other jobs online as well. Also, all job applications will be online at one point in the future.
The Internet in the future can be unimaginable. I can see myself using the Internet for reasons I would have never thought of. In the future, instant messaging, land phones, letter mail, e-mail, and chat rooms could all be dead technology. Video messaging, video chatting, and video mailing will take over and could be processed in a newer type of display. If I work for a business, meetings and conferences could all be done in the comfort of my own home. Video transmission can send all the members into a single display. The Internet will always be a tool for the same reasons from using it in the past. It will only be more efficient, faster, and convenient in the future.