Recently I was given the most unfortunate experience of going to visit family who although living in a very nice rural area- have only DIAL-UP internet! It was a very upsetting experience to have no connection with the outside world. But this all got me thinking- how important is the internet really?
If we were born in the 1900s then we wouldn’t have the airplane, automobile or tv- in fact less than 10% of people had electricity in their homes! The Internet is still in its infancy and can we really tell how much of an effect it is going to have on our lives in the long run? It has grown exponentially from only a handful of computer buffs in the 1990s have the internet to now over 50% of the USA having access. Technology gathers historical weighting with the amount it changes humanity’s lives, the printing press changed the world by giving people access to literature. But it still remains to be seen if the internet will stand the test of time and be as revolutionary to the human population as other great inventions, as our daily lives become more and more dependant on the internet long gone are the days of it being only for the super rich or in hudge university computer labs.
After doing a little research there is actually quite a few studies on what we would be prepared to give up for the internet and I would love to say I am shocked by some of the figures given… but I am really not! 20 years ago if you wanted to find something out you would most likely have to go to the library or look it up in a collection of encyclopedias, journals or newspapers.
A study on american teens showed some interesting results one teen even said
“At this point, the internet is as important to me as food, shelter and running water! I simply can’t imagine going even a day without it.”
when asked what they would rather give up coffee or the internet 69% said they would ditch the black stuff for the internet, a rather large 73% would give up alcohol for the internet and 77% chocolate- now these seem like small things, and a bit of fun but what when we get on to the bigger things.
A staggering 10% said the internet was more valuable than their car, and 43% said they would rather have the internet than exercise (which may explain what americans are one of the most obese countries in the world) 21% would chose the internet over sex and 7% would take the internet over showering!
When looking at a study of 8000 teens across 14 countries more than half stated the internet was more valuable than dating, parties and education. Another study on 3000 college students in the USA showed one in every three students valued it as much as water, food, air and shelter.
Looking to the future 2 out of 5 students said they would take a lower paid job in exchange for more flexibility with social media use, device choice and software usage- is this a sign of youth or the changing needs of our new generation.
If our parents where the Baby boomers we must be the online generation, with the next generation being the wireless generation. It is still yet to be seen how the internet with change our lives in the long run- but its safe to say for now that things are changing faster than most people can keep up.
And for your amusement- A look at the internet through the eyes of the 1990’s!
No Flash Photography 