I still remember when letters had to be sent via the post, with the correct postage. Letters sent overseas which did not have sufficient postage, would be sent by seamail instead of by air and they could take forever to reach their destinations. You could positively die waiting for the much-longed for letter to arrive. Those were the days of snail mail. But today?
In the blink of an eye your letter goes via email and the other party receives it within minutes of your hitting the "send" button. Business letters are also via email these days and the laptop or notebook is everywhere, slung on the shoulders of the new generation as they hurry to work. In trains and buses, you can see people holding blackberries and reading whatever is on their screens.
The internet has made it possible to access information from different parts of the world. Old and young, they can be seen at computer stations, sourcing for materials, or just simply surfing the net. Google has made it possible for anyone to search for information about just anything. You can even find friends whom you've lost touch with and with social networks like Facebook, Friendster, etc. you can quickly make new friends. Best of all, you can see photographs of friends and family. Then there's the chatrooms, where anonymity lends freedom of expression. My experience of entering a chatroom was a good one.
I used a pseudonym and when I posed a question, I had immediate responses. One of my questions was why I couldn't hit the golf ball as far as I wanted to. Within the next few moments I had different people giving me their views and suggestions. That was great!!
I was also amazed to find that Google earth could give me the location of my house! I could see clearly the road leading to my house and also my neighbours' houses!! Where I come from, such a thing was unimaginable a decade ago.
Then there are blogs and websites which you can visit and read. Some are political and they discuss the politics of the day. Malaysian politics make interesting reading and in one of the forums I found lots of differing views. Some contributors were very supportive of a writer who has drawn the ire of the powers that be because he spoke without fear or favor. Others reviled the political figures that have made a mockery of democracy. All in all it makes for very interesting reading and before you know it, hours have flown by.
Reading emails can also take up a lot of time if you have many friends who keep sending you mail and you forward those mail to other friends because they are enlightening or humorous, or they have attachments of beautiful slides of breathtaking scenery accompanied by lovely music.
However on the downside, there are adult websites that should not be viewed by young people. Pornography impacts the pysche negatively. Then there are those who abuse the internet by posting lewd pictures to bring about the downfall of prominent figures in society. This is a cowardly act befitting a scumbag. There are also paedophiles lurking in the cyberworld, stalking children and youngsters, as well as predators that prowl the web looking for victims, both male and female.
Despite the abuses, the internet is a wonderful tool when used properly. Just as we can't live without the mobile phone, we can't do without the internet. Honestly I do get withdrawal symptoms if I don't go online for a day and I feel so lost if I forget to bring my mobile phone with me when I leave the house. However did I survive without these things a decade and a half ago???
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