Life with and without the Internet

It's the dawning of a new era, as our blog project group has changed by one member. As a result, we are starting Blog Project 3.0. The newest member is goodvibrations44, a friend of Moma Rock's, who seems really nice and easygoing. I look forward to reading what she has to say.

Update (9/9/13): Goodvibrations44 has come to realize that blogging really isn't her thing and has decided to leave the group. She's a great writer, so I hope she can find another outlet in the future. We enjoyed having her here and hope to stay in contact with her. She did not do a post for this week's topic, but you can click on her link to see her previous posts. In the meantime, we'll be pausing posts till after the Jewish holiday season and hope to be back in October with some new and fun topics. Stay tuned.

This week, I chose the topic: What would your life be like if the Internet never existed?

Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:
Froggie
Goodvibrations44
Moma Rock

The Jewish holiday season is once again here. It's a four-week stretch of Yom Tovs, starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Simchat Torah. Because the second day of Yom Tov leads into Shabbat, it turns into a THREE day festivity each week (except for Yom Kippur, for obvious reasons). Yom Tov is observed similarly to Shabbat, except eruv rules aren't in place (meaning you can carry stuff on holidays without worrying about the eruv being up or down) and you can cook, provided you can transfer a flame. What this also means is three days in a row during three of the weeks where I will not be online at all. So that inspired today's topic.

I had been thinking a lot about what my quality of life would be like, had the Internet never come along. I know I was able to exist without it up until freshman year of college. Then everything changed the first time I entered the computer lab in Julian Hall at Illinois State University and asked to get set up with my Internet account. The first person I e-mailed was a friend from "Rocky Horror." I was clueless on what to do and sent him a message with just a note in the subject line and nothing else. He wrote back telling me I sent a blank message. I then had to ask the guy in the computer lab what I was doing wrong. Once I figured out how to send a message the correct way, I was on fire! Soon I was doing two-way chats and "fingering" to find out who was online. I even joined some newsgroups, which is the first way the Internet changed my life...as I met my first boyfriend that way.

At the time, I was mainly using a shell account and didn't understand websites or how to use them. My first boyfriend (calling him that makes him sound like some sort of doll, like My First Barbie) taught me how to surf the web, use html, and helped me create my first website. From there, he also helped me set up a V.C. Andrews website, through which I started a fan club. Lo and behold, I met a close friend at college through that club. He set me up with a shell account through his company (which is where I had access to the websites he helped me create). At one point, another guy who used that same server contacted me because of my handle ("Magenta"). That was (and still is) my friend "Quickman" or "Quick," who eventually married "Moma Rock."

And that is only the beginning....

All of this got me thinking about who I would never have met without the Internet and who I might have met regardless. It also got me thinking of the ways the Internet has enriched or detracted from my life. Since it's too much to type out in paragraph form, I'm going to share a few lists. (I'll try to keep them small. Keep in mind this is all in regards to anything that happened after the Internet came about. I would have obviously only met friends in person prior to that time.)

People I wouldn't have met without the Internet:

• Katydid: We met through a chat room and have yet to meet in person, but I hope we will sometime soon.
• The Eleventy Foot Tall Freshman: We met in a newsgroup from school because of Rocky Horror. We lived in the same residence hall, but there were a million people coming and going. Our paths probably wouldn't have crossed. I remember how he would tell everyone that he met one of his good friends through the Internet and I knew he was referring to me.
• My boss from NJ: I wouldn't have known about the job if not for an Internet group that posted Jewish job leads. 
• All the amazing friends (readers and authors) I've met through Chick Lit Central. (If that wasn't obvious enough!)
• My Kurt Hummel loving friend who made aliyah last year. We might have met through other friends in the community eventually, but we connected via Facebook because of a comment she made in regards to Glee.
• Goodvibrations44: I met her through Moma Rock!

People I would have met anyway:

• My husband!!! All the factors leading to how we met have nothing to do with the Internet. I even met the guy I dated prior to him through friends, so that definitely was one of the catalysts since he got me back into bowling.
• Most of the people in the community where I live now (aside from the Kurt Hummel loving friend mentioned above). I met most of them in person prior to moving here. Even finding this community was all through word of mouth and had nothing to do with the Internet. I connected with one of my friends from the neighborhood after we ran into each other at an author event.
• "Jack," since we met when we were working together and connected instantly.
• My college friends. I met them through classes and groups, or from connections to other friends. I think I even would have met C-La if I hadn't met Jenny (the one from the V.C. Andrews club) because I knew Tansh through my major and she was also friends with C-La. (I'm glad I met Jenny, regardless!)  

Ways the Internet has enriched my life:

• Found my current job through an Internet job listing (as well as my previous job...see above). 
• Blogging....need I say more?!? Really, I love having an outlet at my personal blog and I am floored by what my book blog has done for my life between the opportunity to read new books before they are released in stores, to meeting authors and connecting on a meaningful level with them, to all the friends I've made through the blog and connected Facebook group. 
• Being able to reconnect with people I thought I'd never hear from again, as well as easily stay in touch with people I don't get to see that often in person. Skype is also amazing for the latter.
• One-stop shopping when I need to send a birthday gift quickly and don't have time to go to the store.
• Instant access to information.
• MAPS!!! I could not find my way around where I currently live without them. I still don't know how I would have gotten by if online maps hadn't been created by the time I started driving on expressways/highways.
• Finding cousins on my husband's side, who have now become close friends with my parents and have connected us with their kids who live somewhat nearby. Also found other cousins through them, as a result! It started with me contacting a woman who had an article written about her in a Jewish newspaper, after I saw her name come up in an online networking group for Chicago area women. 
• Free e-books...even though I only read them on my Kindle for PC. (I still prefer a print book though.)
• Learning about new music from Spotify and Pandora. I found out about Sophie Milman that way. She's a fabulous singer! 
• Not missing out on my favorite shows, since we don't have cable. Most network stations post them the next day online. 
• Confidence. I feel more eloquent and charming when I write than when I talk. I also am less shy when I'm online.

Things I could do without from the Internet:

• Videos and pictures of Miley Cyrus "twerking." (As well as other annoying celebrity news.)
• Political differences during election season. I'm sure they'd still be there, but it wouldn't be as obnoxious as it gets on Facebook.
• Constant articles about horrible things parents do to their kids...because you know morbid curiosity is going to take over.
• Having to see people I didn't like in high school being friends with my friends on Facebook. At least I can block people, if needed. 
• The "time suck" factor. I don't accept game requests on Facebook anymore for this reason. SongPop was just too addictive! There's also the lack of productivity around my house, as a result.
• Overwhelming amount of information coming in at one time. Sometimes it can be a bit too much.

There are a lot of pros and cons that have come about since the invention of the Internet. However, it's become ingrained into my life and has definitely enhanced it in ways I never thought possible. If it never existed, I would probably go about my life not knowing any different. I do love having it around for all the benefits listed above. I'm just glad for Shabbat and Yom Tov, which allow me to disconnect for a few days and just "be." Even though there's WAY too much e-mail waiting when I get back online....

Now that the (Jewish) new year is here, I would like to make a "resolution" to carve out only a fraction of Internet time each day/evening so that I can also get other stuff done around the house and also not go to bed super late. It will be a work in progress for me, but I hope I can find a balance soon enough! I may have to assess how it all went by this time next year.