Thirty to forty years ago, we read advertisements or watched advertisements on television about products we wished to purchase.
We flipped through encyclopedias,
atlases, and dictionaries for knowledge and information. The internet and
cell phones had not yet entered our lives.
When the internet and cell phones took
over our lives, the story of all our lives changed dramatically. We typed furiously into our browsers, searching for anything and everything. Our browsers reveal our curiosities, our anxieties, our dreams and hobbies.
I remember cutting pictures and
newspaper tidbits for school projects.
For my sons’ projects and assignments,
I quickly logged into Google, typed my queries and searches in the search box, and
helped myself to whatever relevant information Google provided.
As time passed, the boys learned to
work on their own. Today, there isn't a single child who doesn't know how to
work on a computer or cell phone.
Down the years, my quest for
knowledge or information on topics that include beauty, recipes, geographical information,
health, and even idle celebrity gossip will be sighted in my browser.
I don't look up medicine all that
much because, frankly speaking, Dr Google scares the hell out of me.
Shopping on the internet means
looking for the best bargains, and boy! I'm spoilt for choice, ending up more
confused than ever.
My browser history will also reveal
that I search for writing prompts, gardening tips, travel deals, the meaning
of words, and book recommendations.
It's an ongoing process—there's
always some information to gather, whether gardening tips, restaurant reviews, or even the lyrics of
a song.
Books will always be there, and some
of us still swear that books are still the most trusted source of knowledge and information. Some find it easier to type
something into the search box or browser and explore the vast sea of
information available.
As long as the internet thrives, our browsers will always have history.
What is the funniest or strangest thing your browser would reveal about you?
#WAPAD #Blogchatter
This post brought back some memories of that pre-internet era. I too had the habit of cutting photos and news clips and pasting them on a scrap book. Now in my retirement days, I am tempted to restart that nostalgic activity.
ReplyDeleteThose days, doing a school project, or even looking up some information meant a trip to a library or maybe a bookshop to find that one reference book.
Today, our window to the world is the browser, and it leaves a trail of wherever we have been to!
A lovely post, Marietta.
You might be interested in my latest blog post:
India AI Impact Summit: Goals and reality