Recently, at the World
Economic Forum in Davos, Chairman of Google- Eric Schmidt predicted that the
internet would “disappear”. What he actually meant was, there are going to be
so many gadgets and gizmos, sensors and smart devices surrounding us, all
connected to the internet, that as humans, we are going to be so accustomed to
them, that we won’t even realize their usage at all times. At first, this
comment came across as ridiculous, exaggerated and just another publicity stunt
(It did get widespread global media attention). However, on further thought and
logical deliberation on the sequence of events in the sphere of technology over
the past decade, the idea did not seem as far-fetched. In fact, it made even
more sense the more I thought about it.
My first tryst with the internet
was when I was in the 4th Grade. I vaguely remember the first
website I visited- Yahoo.com. Yes, Yahoo. Not Google. Today is a different
story. I can’t remember the last time I visited Yahoo. I don’t think most
people can. The fact that Google has stormed the industry with a lot more than
the search engine is proof of the pudding that on the internet, innovation is
key to success. Google’s domination of the internet and allied service
industries is so evident, that its transformation into a verb has been globally
accepted. They have ventured into various arenas and businesses and have formed
a quasi-monopoly of the internet to a large extent. I created my very first
email id in the 5th Grade. That ID is one of the most embarrassing things ever
and I really do hope that I’m the only person who remembers what it is. . Since
then, I have come a long way on the internet and my journey has had its own set
of ups and downs. It has been an incredibly fascinating journey nevertheless
and continues to shock and surprise me. However, that’s the nature of the
beast. It is evolving so speedily, but at the same time, there are traces of
your presence that you leave behind and nothing can actually truly be wiped
out. It can only be hidden from some or most people. Even identity- though many
people believe the internet is a place for anonymity, they are very wrong. The
anonymity is only vis-à-vis a vast section of the people, but someone
somewhere, in some internet corporation, has access to your entire life history
through the web.
Millions of people worldwide are
using the Internet to share information, make new associations and communicate.
Individuals and businesses, from students and journalists, to consultants,
programmers and corporate giants are all harnessing the power of the Internet.
For many businesses, the Internet is becoming integral to their operations.
Imagine the ability to send and receive data: messages, notes, letters, documents,
pictures, video, sound- just about any form of communication, as effortlessly
as making a phone call. It is easy to understand why the Internet is rapidly
becoming the go-to communications medium. Using the mouse on your computer or
your finger on a screen, the familiar functionality gives you access to the
entire world and all its wonders, by connecting one computer to another. Internet
services allow you to establish connections with systems on the other side of
the world as if they were just next door.
Let me be very honest. My story
on the internet is very interesting. Interesting because most of my activities
on the internet have been a result of some wonderful accidents or websites I
have stumbled upon. Positive and negative, a series of accidents exposed me to
a whole new world out there. From email, to search engines, to gaming sites, to
video sharing sites, to social networking sites, my initial years on the
internet were action-packed. Slowly but steadily, the time I spent on the
internet kept growing. I used it for recreation, assignments and homework,
photo and video sharing etc. It was only a small group of people who were
connected to the internet and utilized it to a certain extent. That extent is
not even a small fraction of what is being used today. The internet, in a short
span of time has completely transformed millions of lives around the globe and
continues to do so. Life will never be the same again for many of us who are so
used to being connected to the world every second. We cannot live without the
internet and certainly, I cannot.
The smartphone revolution has
once again changed the way the internet itself is being consumed on a daily
basis. Before, the internet was something to be accessed on a computer once in
a while, most probably once a day or once in a few days, if not longer gaps.
However, once laptops came into being, the idea of portability really appealed
to sections of society. It was a similar phenomenon with the surge of the
mobile phone. As technology advanced and research and development happened in
the field, the services and functions of the internet had to be passed on to
users of mobile phones as well, because people were very taken up with the idea
of being able to perform functions they would usually need to sit at a desk
for, on the move, from their very own palms. This led to the development of the
internet-enabled phones that slowly turned into the modern-day smartphones. In
India itself, there are more than 120 million smartphone users. This whopping
number is still growing rapidly at an exponential rate as more and more people
are taken over by the smartphone craze. The liberalized modern market has
unleashed a war between smartphone companies in which, due to the competition, prices
are cheaper and there is more choice, both online and offline. Smartphones are highly
affordable today and people from various strata of society own and utilize one.
The boom is evident.
As a
student, the internet has helped me tremendously. Smartphones are a
must for college students. The Internet makes research quick, simple and easy,
but more importantly, it makes it enjoyable. Young people like me love to
use computers due to the interactivity it provides. Web
pages are much more up-to-date than old text books that
were previously used for studying, so not only is the information
accurate, but it is also designed to engage students like me in a way
that we find entertaining. Trends change so quickly that the style of a text
book becomes outdated within a few years, but the Internet has the capabilities
to update pages continually, so they are always appealing for the intended
audience. The Internet also allows students to research and learn about topics
that would previously be unknown to them due to lack of resources.
Some schools and colleges do not stock every single book on a particular
subject, but with the Internet, the learning possibilities are limitless. Also,
I’m spared from the hassle of going to the boring and unfriendly environment of
libraries my parents so very often lament about, and can do all the necessary
research from the comfort of my home, either using my laptop or smartphone. The
Internet also provides immediacy; something that today’s generation desire. I
am part of the impatient generation and we want things fast. Very fast. Be it
food, love, success, or knowledge, we want it ASAP. One could call it dangerous
or atrocious, but that’s the way the world is- Competitive, zooming ahead and forever
challenging. One can choose to be left behind at his/her own peril. Young
people often want something to happen quickly once they have thought of it. I
do not want to wait a week for a book to arrive, they want to jump on the
Internet right away and research it. If I send a message, I want an immediate
response, which is something that an email or instant messaging apps permit.
The
Internet also allows a new level of socializing. It means that people can
get in touch with friends at any time of day or night and
interact as a group throughout the day with social networking sites such
as Facebook and Twitter. They make it easy to share links, views,
opinions and new-found trends, music and films in a matter of seconds. On sites
and apps like Facebook, twitter, Google+ etc, I can voice out my opinions,
thoughts and views on a variety of subjects. Social media is a powerful tool to
reach out to maximum number of people quickly, free of cost.
Whatsapp
is one of the best inventions of recent times that have changed the landscape
of communication forever. I use the app to connect and stay in touch with
friends and family from around the globe. I use it to share pictures, videos
and audio files instantly. Whatsapp groups are a blessing to mankind. Although
they are very often filled with spam and mindless forwards, they are very
important in my daily routine. There is always some news and update on the
class Whatsapp group. All the teacher or anyone has to do to inform the whole
class about an assignment or activity or any other announcement is to inform
any one person from the class and Voila! Within seconds, the entire class is
aware of the development. I also use Whatsapp extensively to organize events
and fests. Most of the work can be completed on my phone. The number of
meetings and brainstorming sessions has come down drastically, except for
extremely important meetings for which everyone’s physical presence is a must.
My
online life is intrinsically connected to my offline life and I can clearly
observe the way in which increasingly, one influences the other. I’m not just
concerned with getting good grades and finding the best parties anymore. More
than ever, I’m using my smartphone and tablet to navigate life on and off campus.
On the bus, in the cab, waiting in line, in bed, on the footpath and even while
driving, I can't seem to put my phone down. I often check my phone before
getting out of bed in the morning and while in bed at night before I fall
asleep. I wake up and check my schedule for the day on my calendar and diary on
my phone. At the end of the day, I do a final check on all social media sites,
emailing apps and instant messaging apps. I follow a
0-pending-in-the-inbox-strategy, which basically means, at the end of every
day, all pending messages/emails/ communications must be replied and responded
to before I go to sleep. This reduces clutter and ensures proper communication.
It also ensures that I am up to speed with my work and am sorted as far as
dealing with important messages and emails is concerned. On my smartphone and
tablet, I decide which movie or play to go for, decide which latest restaurant
to dine at, find the most happening concerts and gigs in town, read the latest
bestseller, watch the new viral sensation, listen to the latest chartbusters,
post my recent articles on my blog, indulge in some networking, check out the
weather report and plan my dressing and accessories accordingly, stay
up-to-date with the latest news feed updates and analyses, settle petty
arguments with a friend by looking up information instantaneously, use apps to
find everything from a bookstore to a date for the evening and a whole lot
more. The possibilities are endless and as long as you know, there is a more
important world offline, Living Online is Fabulous!
