I am fortunate to have experienced how internet technology has evolved during my lifetime. I saw how the computer evolved from the era of adding machines to Casio’s scientific calculators to HP’s programmable calculators to the Commodore computers and the room-sized Burroughs and the IBM mainframes to the earliest Apple and IBM desktops to today’s laptops, ipads, and smartphones.
On the communications front, I experienced how it was to wait for years before getting a phone line and to bearing with party lines. I also remember the time when pager was a necessity, when being on call means tuning in to your Motorola radio 24 hours a day. But all these changed when the telecoms industry was deregulated, and ushered and era when I can choose between various competing land line providers. And of course, I can still recall how excited I was when I finally got my first cellphone unit!
I was introduced to the internet technology sometime in the early 90s via an intra-company email system. The internet technology has developed exponentially since then. I am fortunate to have used most of what it can offer to help make the way I do things a lot better and simpler
Indeed, a lot of things has changed since my childhood days when the fastest form of communication is via the telegram or a public announcement (panawagan) via a public service program on radio. Today, I have several options for communicating: SMS, voice calls, e-mail, chat, or via skype. All these on real time!
Aside from improving the way I communicate with friends and business associates, following is the full list of my personal and professional activities that the internet has helped made simpler and faster:
- Communicating: E-mail, Yahoo Messenger, Chat, Skype
- Searching: Google, Bing, Yahoo and others…
- Social networking – Facebook, Myspace, Multiply, Twitter, LinkedIn
- Video and Images Watching – You Tube, Flickr
- Online Shopping and Group Buying – Amazon, Ebay, Sulit.com.ph, and other group buying sites
- Online Banking and Stock Trading
- Learning – Wikipedia
- Gaming. Level Up, Tantra, World of Warcraft, Online poker games
- Blogging and Websites
- File and Music Sharing – Bit Torrent, Napster, Kazza, Limewire.
I have realized that internet technology used wisely is not something to be feared but harnessed. It has revolutionarized the way I communicate with others. And to those who are still familairizing themselves with the technology, here is a word of advice: the internet is a web of information, where one can be led in many different directions. Seeking guidance from those already experienced in technology is a wise way to go.
Go and enjoy the benefits we can only dreamed of when we were younger!