I was only 5 when Y2k happened, so I remember little about it. When people mentioned it later in life I had no clue what they were talking about and it seemed like such a non-issue, I truly took the internet for granted. Computers were just a fun little tool to me at that age. This was around the time when I started using computers in Kindergarten, 1st grade, and at home. It was a way to play games and nothing else.
We had an old Windows computer in my parent’s room where the usage was monitored, but with any chance I got, I went on there to look at guitars on Music123(a now defunct site, bought out by Guitar Center) and look at my favorites: Gibson Flying Vs and Explorers.
YouTube wasn’t a thing yet and watching videos was nearly impossible, unless you downloaded them locally. I mostly just looked at images and browsed eBay. If you wanted information, or something in particular, you had to work for it. Kind of like how now search engines are useless SEO slime now.
Personal Websites
This was a little before WordPress, so most people would build websites using Yahoo’s Geocities.
These sites were loud, colorful, and unique to the individual. They featured flashing images and mostly made for fun. I loved finding new websites I could bookmark and look at when I was bored.
It never occurred to me that I could make my own website.
MySpace Is YourSpace
When MySpace came around, it was a pretty big deal. All my friends in Elementary School had a profile. What I liked most about it was finding cool new themes and putting music on my profile like Nirvana and Alice In Chains.
My parents got me Nirvana’s Nevermind CD when I was in 4th grade, which turned into a life-long obsession with the band and Kurt Cobain. I grew up and live in SoCal, and 90s music was always on the radio in my family’s 1999 GMC Suburban. The internet became a place where I could research Nirvana, while listening to the CDs I would burn and listen to in Window’s Media Player.
YouTube Takes Form
This is where I felt like the internet really changed. Being able to watch videos with relatively good quality for the time was a game changer. I was able to watch music videos that I could only see on MTV and Vh1. Vlogs were also interesting to watch, I felt like I learned a lot about Life from watching different kinds of folks on there.
It wasn’t until 6th grade I began using YouTube because our family computer was strong enough. My parents originally didn’t want me on the site because they heard it was full of nasty stuff, but they relented and I think realized this was where things were headed on the web.
YouTube was a part of the new generation of the internet. Buying things and interacting with others became the norm. The web was now a service to most people, this is where the individual became lost in a cloud of marketing and corporations taking their stake in this new frontier.
Commodified Netscape
The internet used to be simply a source of information, now it’s more of a product. People see it as a way to quell boredom, but also a necessity of life. No one needs the internet to survive, but it’s a good time waster.
TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram have taken the internet to incredible heights. Apps are complex and take an entire team of engineers to run, on top of business needs and marketing.
According to techcrunch.com, the average user uses the internet/apps for 4-5 hours a day. For most people, that’s half the time they spend at their day job.
Social Effects
Trends have always been prevalent in modern society, but now they seem to be dictated by things we see on social media apps. Fashion and crafts ideas from TikTok and Pinterest.
My Take
I’ve come to terms with the new internet. It offers convenience and entertainment all in one place, but I worry about what it means for future generations.
Us younger millennials and Z-genners are used to using the internet in our formative years, but it seems the users of social networks are becoming younger and younger.
I used MySpace in 2nd grade, but TikTok and Twitter are like that website on steroids. I knew a girl that said she spent 8 hours a day in bed on TikTok. This new way of internet life will cause irreparable damage, but it’s something we must accept because it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.