How is growing up with the internet different today than it was for kids and teens in the early 2000’s? Other than the antic dial-up sound that used to come with the internet, there are so many changes that have come with the growth of the internet. I would like to focus on one simple thing for this blog post, ease. The main difference in my opinion between growing up with the internet now versus the early 2000’s is simply the ease of use for the internet now. Now, we can reach any corner of the internet with the tap of a screen. The internet is with us 24/7 and we have the power to take it with us wherever we go. In the early 2000’s this just wasn’t possible. In the early 2000’s the internet came in the form of big boxes that were hardly mobile. The word “ease” would have never been used to describe the internet as this time. But now, that’s the first thing we think of. How easy it is to look something up. How easy it is talk to people. How easy it is to listen to music. How easy it is to play your favorite video game. In my opinion, this is the most differentiating thing between the internet in the early 2000’s and today.

Now, is this making society better? Ease is great and all. You can argue it makes us more productive, more intelligent, or even more efficient. On the other hand, you could argue we are so reliant on the internet that it is making society lazier, dummier, and more anxious than ever before. I do not think society will ever be able to settle this debate. There are too many factors and opinions that make an answer to this question impossible for people to agree on.