When I think about exploring my world I rarely credit
technology for my exploits; yet there is a great deal of credit that technology
needs to be given. I enjoy family, nature,
history, farming, archery, animal husbandry, and many other activities that if
not for internet sites (and TV stations such as Discovery Channel, History Channel,
Fox News, Food Channel, and others) I wouldn’t know as much as I do. The hours I’ve spend on the computer, at work
and at home, searching, researching, emailing, watching videos, reading articles,
etc. really amazes me. The amount of time I’ve spent over the years gleaning
knowledge and wisdom from its vast repository of information is staggering; yet
without it I wouldn’t know a great many things.
For instance, when my wife was diagnosed with Celiac Disease
a couple years ago, I had no idea what gluten was let alone how to live a
lifestyle that avoided it. Thanks to the
internet and sites like www.glutenfreeliving.com
and www.celiac.org we were able to not only
learn a great deal about what gluten is and where it comes from, but found excellent
resources on how to avoid consuming it by accident and copious recipes! Without resources such as these, my wife and I
would have had a much more difficult time understanding the “what” and “how” of
gluten allergy. Also, thanks to the
technology of the internet, more specifically web portals and email, we can set
up doctor appointments, check test results, and communicate with our medical
professional instantaneously.
Another great resource that has been provided with the
advent of the internet is social networking and data sharing. A few years ago I sang for the band “I’ve Died Daily” and if it
wasn’t for sites like Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, Reverbnation, etc.
we would never have been heard or played anywhere. But thanks to the tools provided us by these
networking and sharing sites we were able to not only interact with our
listeners but have our music listened to by people all around the world! On top of that, because of our online
activity, we were able to set up interviews, book gigs, meet other local bands,
and connect with record labels and producers.
Also thanks to the networking/sharing aspect, I was able to meet people
I would never have had the chance to meet otherwise.
The freedom the internet grants is immeasurable. But with all great freedoms, we should be
cautious. We can very quickly become
dependent on the internet and neglect our need for physical interaction with
others or exercising our body and our mind.
That being said, the internet is an amazing resource without which we might
spend countless hours searching libraries and records for the information we
seek on topics that matter to us. Sometimes
it may seem intimidating and overwhelming, and there are moments when what we
are searching for cannot be found. But
with a little patience and determination, you can find information about nearly
everything on the vast web of material granted us by internet technology.
