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| Since 1997! |
Imagine a time where you were unable to access the internet virtually anywhere. In this time you were not able to pull out your smart phone and connect
to the nearest Wi-Fi. Instead, many of us were merely sitting at a desktop computer
listening to dial-up so we could link ourselves to the outside world through
the internet. For me, I was having this ‘problem’
in 2004. As soon as I walked through the door from school I would casually drop my book bag at the door... act like I was going to pull out some homework but instead I would race to my family’s fancy Gateway computer. Though I had just left school, where
all of my friends were, I was sure I was going to miss out on something if I wasn't connected to them somehow. You see, in 2004 I had a lot going on, just
like any other stuck-in-middle-school adolescent. Having a social life was ranked extremely
high on my priority list and, as a twelve year-old, the best way to keep that list the
same was to constantly be on the internet. I, like many others my age, had discovered
the easiest way to stay connected with friends, AOL Instant Messenger.
AOL Instant Messenger for me began
inside the AOL website. You had to create your own username and this allowed you to
use all of the AOL features and also connect to webpages. Eventually, after experimenting
with some shameful chat rooms, I discovered AIM. This version of chatting was
to be downloaded to my computer allowing me to simply log into my ‘screen name’
without going through the AOL site. Wow, did this make life so much easier for
me. Not only was I cooped up in my study all alone, now I could be there for
even longer chatting it up. Hawthorne would have been appalled. In his writing he
explains how the wood burning stove would ruin the sanctity of family-time and
communication as whole. Boy, was he worried over nothing. I would be irritated
just leaving that coveted computer chair for dinner, much less for time around
a fire. At the current time, I was unaware at how this form of communication
was shaping my life. Looking back now, I do smile thinking about all of the
friends I made, music files I ‘shared’, and time I took to have my ‘profile’
looking perfect but I do wonder how different my adolescence would have been
without AIM. Would I have learned how to master MS Paint without having to make
all of my friends ‘icons’ that were perfect for their personality? Would I have different friends because there was no blocking feature in life? Would I have
gone outside to find that I am an extraordinary golfer and be best friends with
Tiger? Would I have learned the useless information ex: remembering that the combination
of ctrl+3 would make a blushing smiley? Who knows. But I do know that I am more
than content with my communication skills to this day and have only fond memories of my short-lived experience with AIM
I am pretty grateful for AIM, but for one reason more than the others. AIM led me to the discovery
of good ol’ MySpace. Though it is still around today, AIM was eventually drowned out by social networking sites where
it’s use is no longer demanded, but it definitely paved the path. Because of MySpace
I was able to teach myself a little HTML coding and was able to express myself
through making ‘layouts’ for friends and even strangers. AIM made me more
comfortable with the internet and honestly with using the computer as a
technology instrument. If it wasn't for the internet when I was in middle
school the only thing I would be really experienced in now would be
Rollercoaster Tycoon (but that couldn't be too bad). I will admit that I never
thought about how much the internet would affect me in the years to come. I
could not have ever imagined the amount of information we share with others who
are all over the nation and the world. It’s amazing that years before the
internet was created, Bush was already thinking about how we could connect with
one another and share ideas. I was growing up in the prime and never realized
how amazing the internet truly was, maybe because I didn’t know any different? Now
I do. There is no telling what I would do in my free time if I wasn’t consumed
with my laptop but I really believe that I’m ok with never knowing. I never
want the internet to leave my life and I am grateful that I am able to watch its hand in transforming society right before my eyes.
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