So there are many people alive today who did not experience life before the Internet. This posting is for them.
I am going to give a couple of simple examples of things which we take fore-granted now which were impossible before the Internet.
Example #1: Before the Internet, if you were a fan of particular music artists, you could find out relatively little about them. You could buy their albums. You could perhaps buy (or borrow) books about them. You could perhaps join their "fan clubs". You might, in return, receive some photographs and perhaps a couple of newsletters each year.
Today, if you are a fan of say The Script, you can visit their website, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter or Google+, and watch their videos on YouTube, and more. You have real-time access to them!
Example #2: Before the Internet, if you were discussing something with your friends, and nobody knew the answer, or there was a dispute, then the issue went unresolved. Many pub conversations ended in stalemate with disagreement over whether or not the person who appeared in movie X was the same person who was in movie Y (or whatever).
Today, it seems that the sum of all human knowledge is only a click away. Certainly questions about who appeared in what movie, or what logo a company uses, or what the largest lake in Italy is, or who invented the Post-it and when, are easily answered. This was inconceivable 20 years ago!
I think, because it has been so gradual, it is difficult to full understand the impact the Internet has had in so many areas. It really has connected people and, in so doing, made the world a smaller place.
