Disconnected

It's amazing how "disconnected" from the world you feel when you're without a computer. Mine recently failed on me when the fan, overheated and tangled in cat hair, died. With some luck and a new fan, we might yet be able to recover the data stored on that laptop, but in the meantime I've been given a new laptop to play with. Unfortunately it was during this past weekend that I was without a computer, and thus offline for several days.

I can picture it now, I'm sitting in front of the fireplace with my grand-kids and they're asking, "Grandpa, how did you survive without the internet?!" My answer, of course, would be, "We had to walk so many miles to the nearest mailbox to send mail, uphill and in the snow! And we had to read the newspaper, made with real paper."

It's probably worth noting that I also do not have cable TV, just an antenna with tin foil wrapped around it. The media I was then left with was my collection of DVDs (all of which I've seen at least twice), and some video games. With friends all studying for upcoming midterms, there wasn't much to be done outside the house. And so, faced with the sudden smallness of my condo, I was forced to survive without the internet. No hope of checking my e-mail every five minutes, no web surfing, no downloading of TV shows or music (among other things), and finally no MSN chatting. I felt like I was going out of my mind. "Hi, my name is Darren, and I'm addicted to the Internet."

Our growing dependence on electronic communication is symbolic of the times in which we live. This generation, known as Generation Y (a term that is highly disputed, and quite possibly moreso Generation X), has grown up during times wherein technology has been on the rise. Gen Y is sometimes referred to, perhaps more accurately, as The Net Generation, Millennials, and Echo Boomers. Our lifetimes will show the development of e-[anything], "Texting", iPods, and an overall increase in technology in the hands of the average everyday person. Without these things, much of what our lives consist of would not exist. Many of us spend countless hours on our cell phones, chatting with friends online, and generally surfing the web.

Such expressions as "LOL" (for Laugh Out Loud) and "WTF" (for What The Fuck) have become hallmarks of our generations ability to find faster and more efficient ways of communication. One might also notice the presence of web addresses in most commercials and TV shows; links to further enhance the substance and content of the media. Why is it that our lives revolve around the ever-present Internet? Why do we feel incomplete and secluded when we're unable to "Google" something?

For anyone from Generation X or earlier, this situation is even more evident. Most of them lived a long time without the World Wide Web, but are now so attached to it that daily functions become almost impossible. Ideally, the internet is a means for increasing efficiency of communications; in a sense, the Net is a new rung on the technological ladder, like radio broadcasts of days long past. However, a large majority of people use the internet the same as they do coffee. It's become an addiction of sorts in that we must have access at all times so that we can incessantly check our e-mail, read the same news articles over and over again, surf the same webpages looking for updates. To illustrate this, WestJet has recently implemented the ability to check-in for your flights online. The internet has become a necessity of life for many people.

With the emergence of wireless networks and BlueTooth technology, we've found new ways to stay connected. Gone are the days where cables and dial-up modems were absolutely necessary for a connection to the internet. As chips get smaller and smaller, and systems get more and more multi-functional, the capacity for technology to become a ruling factor in how society evolves is rapidly becoming a reality. Our children will one day look at us and say, "Why would you ever use stamps? That's so old-school!"