The most important invention in my lifetime is the internet. It has given people worldwide access to education and communication. How the internet has been used comes with pros and cons. I love that we can do research about any topic at any time. Parents who want to connect with other parents are able to communicate rather than feel isolated. Families have ways to have face to face conversations across the globe. Without the invention of the internet Heidi would not be able to have her own blog. She would be stuck talking to herself.
The internet has opened up the possibility for small business owners to sell their goods and services nation-wide or internationally.
But like Spiderman says With great power comes great responsibility. There are some downsides to the internet as well. We are more connected but many feel more lonely than ever. Having all information at your fingertips makes people less likely to reach out to experts in the field or go to libraries for research.
We also have to be careful that what we are reading is based on fact rather than wild speculation. Thankfully kids have been learning about reputable sources at school but it is still good to keep in mind.
It is difficult to explain to young people how life was before the internet existed. I have had kids ask, how did you go shopping? We went to the stores we had and if they didn’t have what you were looking for you didn’t get it. (I didn’t get into the catalog shopping concept). What did you play with? Rocks and sticks kid. I would tell them about building a fort with sticks from our yard leaned up against a tree branch, or using army men in the sand box and building forts with rocks and sticks. The best part was flooding part of it with the garden hose. Then having the army men sink in quicksand. Our death scenes were epic!
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