Computers, the Internet, and a Changing World :: Computer Cyberspace Technology Essays

Computers, the Internet, and a Changing World When I think about the world of writing in the year 2003, and compare it to writing, let’s say, in the year 1990, the changes that have evolved are phenomenal. Of course, a person could argue that change is the one constant in life, including people, ideas, and technology, just to name a few. How can you measure and analyze every change that’s occurred in the world, and its cultures? If you tried, you’d likely grow old and die before you could pinpoint every single one. But when it comes to writing and the writers, themselves, in the twenty-first century, no longer are the paper pages of books, magazines, and newspapers the only source of reading. The internet is a dazzling and complicated electronic world, where one human can instantly communicate with another, all with the click of a mouse. Cyberculture has taken us from an earlier world, where we used the pen, pencil, typewriter, and just a computer, to a rapid-fire electronic galaxy, that enables us to use millions of pixels to send messages to the world; the most amazing part of all, is that we can do all this without ever leaving the comfort of our homes. Let’s start at the beginning, before the information superhighway was a part of the global vernacular. Millions of people like to read the newspaper, for a variety of reasons; many, including myself, want to keep up to speed on current events, locally, and around the world. I tend to read The Detroit Free Press, The Ann Arbor News, and occasionally, The New York Times, all good and, for the most part, accurate sources of news. My parents subscribed to all three newspapers for many years, and still do to this day. After I moved out and began living on my own, I would go to the nearest store or newspaper stand to buy a copy, and at times, still do this. However, with the explosion of internet usage, I don’t have to run out to the store and spend thirty-five or fifty cents on one of those papers; rather, all I have to do is turn on my computer, get connected to the internet, type in the URL, and I am instantly at that newspaper’s site, with that day’s electronic headlines only a few inches from my face. I can read the front page news, or click a link that takes me to the sports section, or hit another link that takes me to the movie reviews. There are countless texts, long and short, to read on the internet, and newspapers are only one example. However, I believe that these