How did we survive without the internet? When I started my journalism training about 17 years ago, the world wide web was a very new concept – one that many of us sniffed at as a way of researching our stories due in the main to the lack of online content.
Google wasn't our life line then – we were still scouring library shelves for the facts.
I spent my summer breaks from University writing long letters – yes, handwriting letters with pen and paper – to friends who didn't live nearby. Stamps were cheaper then. Deliveries from the postman were exciting because they often included bulging envelopes with scribbled addresses as well as the printed bills and junk mail. Friends had taken time to write about their lives and deliver a mini parcel to me. I still have all of those letters stored away.
Facebook has changed the way we communicate. There's no need for letters and stamps when you can chat instantly. You don't have to wait a few days to find out your friend has seen a band, had a haircut or got a new job. You are informed immediately – a live feed into their lives, with pictures.
Social media is even making email communication defunct. I can remember sending my first email back in 1996 – I think it took the recipient about a week to reply. The letter got there quicker.
It's a different story in 2012 of course. A recent study from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) showed that consumers in various developed countries would happily sacrifice chocolate, alcohol and coffee in return for internet access. And I would be one of them.
Elliott House relies on the internet – without it, I can't access emails, check updates, work with our team effectively, research my stories (online content has somewhat improved!).. and the list goes on.
There's such a thing as Nomophobia now too. A recognised condition where people live in fear of being without their mobile phone! I don't think that's just down to the need for calling someone either – our mobiles, like the internet, have become increasingly smarter. Social media can be accessed on the move, emails can be read on route to your next meeting, you can do the weekly food shop, book a restaurant and even bag a holiday all by the tap of an app.
The internet has become our right arm. We rely on it to work, shop, research, eat, and keep in touch with people among its many other uses. It has made our lives easier in one respect – but harder in others. The faster we can work, the more we can do. We're always switched on.
Communication has never been so easy. But when things get easier, does our attention to detail slip? We often say things we regret later – now mistakes can be published for the world to see, making an embarrassing mark on your Facebook wall or Twitter feed. Foolish messages that were quickly mistyped in haste and sent. No time to reflect on your way to the postbox. Correspondence is free and instant.
Anyone can publish their musings these days. We're all 'citizen journalists'. Google is our life line now. Or is it?
