I am older than the internet. And I remember when it first entered our homes.
There was no "broadband" back then. It was called "dial-up" and runs on the same lines as your home telephone.
When someone is on the internet, no one can use the home phone. It sounds unbelievable but it's true :)
To get connected to the internet, we had to click on the internet icon on our desktops and wait for a really loud screeching sound.
That's how you know you're being connected to the internet :)
The internet back then was billed per minute. It was not unlimited like it is today.
I'm just reminiscing because back then, the internet was a place to meet with like-minded people and share your thoughts.
We were on Bolt, Friendster and Myspace. I had a blog on Blogspot and Blogdrive that I "designed" myself using "codes".
We read each other's thoughts and became a small "online" community.
We commented on each other's posts and added each other on MSN Chat and Yahoo Chat.
We would meet up and hang out.
It was so wholesome back then.
There were online forums where people could enter chat rooms - each with a theme - and chat with everyone who was online and make new friends.
I made new "online" friends myself, who were all the way across the other side of the world.
I even sent one of them a postcard!
Facebook, when it first came out, was a simple one-pager, where you could post your status beginning with [Your Name] followed by [is.....].
And we could send each other potted plants and colourful eggs that we would put on "shelves" and watch them "grow".
When Twitter came about, it was first a "mini" blogging site and there was a limit of about 40 or so words, I think.
It became a dumping ground for thoughts. I would complain and moan about anything and everything on Twitter back then.
I did get into a little trouble too haha.
These days, everything is so different.
There is an unspoken "code of conduct" when one is on the internet.
I can't imagine complaining and moaning on any of the platforms that I am on now.
Everything is "glazed" with professionalism. Twitter is a marketing tool now. An extension of the marketing department.
Instagram is for influencers and also for comedy, photography and information, great for those who love to dive down rabbit holes.
There are formulas for everything. How to have a higher reach, how to sell more, how to get more clients, etc.
Everything is a "show" these days and it is all online.
Diana Abd is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav.
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