Let's face it: Internet is probably one of the best inventions ever. Human knowledge just a click away! And it seems almost impossible to remember what our life was like before we were connected to world Wide Web, just as it is difficult to remember the things that were done before the advent of the Internet.
Here are some examples!
What habits did we have before the Internet?
The encyclopedias
Although some nostalgics, like myself, continue to use them still, encyclopedias have represented for centuries a valid help for expand knowledge and research. Although some publishers initially tried to keep up with the times by transforming encyclopedias into digital format on CD, to date we just need to enter the keywords of our search on any search engine to quickly find what we are looking for. In spite of everything, however, the encyclopedias still retain their charm and certainly make their figure if exhibited in the bookstore.
The maps
A few days ago I was in the car with my family and while we were using it Google Maps to go to a specific area, the question arose spontaneously: how did motorists and pedestrians in the past without Google Maps? Well the answer is pretty simple: with maps! How many of us remember those maps folded into the slot in the front seats of cars? How many have used them for their travels to orient themselves? Here, the maps, however beautiful and useful, have been overtaken by technology, thanks to the advent of Google Maps, which can be easily consulted from a computer and smartphone.
The calls
Okay, the calls have not really fallen into disuse, but thanks to the Internet we have been able to broaden our horizons, through the very famous video calls. Whether you have Skype, Messenger or any other software that allows you to make one, video calls allow you not only to call but, logically, also to look eye to eye with our interlocutor. Great, right?
The telephone directory
Yellow Pages, White pages, bricks of telephone directories that we collected year after year without even a valid reason. But they were useful, especially for calling professionals at the last minute. Today, those voluminous lists are a distant memory. In fact, there are gods specific internet sites where, by entering the data of what or who we are looking for, we obtain the result in real time. A not indifferent convenience, yet personally I miss the old telephone directories.
Looking for a job
Incredible but true, the world of work has also been digitized. Now anyone looking for a job can do it from the comfort of your own home, without buying specialized newspapers or going to the employment office. In fact, there are hundreds of specialized sites, with daily announcements and direct contacts with companies.
Movies, TV series and music
With the Internet, we can watch movies and series from the sofa in our home in real time, without resorting to video rentals or waiting for the broadcast even weeks away. Same thing goes for music: thanks to online store we can buy or listen to our favorite songs for free, without necessarily going to a record store.
Buying in a store
How many times, during a bad day, have we found the fridge empty thinking "oh man, I forgot to do the shopping!" and meanwhile we were already in our pajamas and with the cat in our arms? Well, with the Internet all of this is a memory. We can shopping directly from our home, buying what you need online. And yes, for some time now it has also been possible to shop via the Internet, having it delivered directly to our home.
Conclusions
Obviously there are many other habits supplanted by the Internet and as comfortable and revolutionary as it is, in my humble opinion it would sometimes be nice to go back to old habits that are now considered obsolete. Whether it's browsing an encyclopedia or going to a vinyl store, making certain interactions still makes us feel an integral part of a tradition handed down to us, directly or indirectly.
