Some people love the internet, some people hate it… I like it for the most part, but I know several people who are very anti-internet, for several long-winded reasons that would take too long to explain here. Instead of arguing with them, which I know I’d fail at – I’m rubbish at debates that don’t involve food or prizes – I decided to write a blog post instead.

One of the things I love about the internet is the ability to share my opinions online – I was always too lazy to keep a diary, and always wanted to edit what I had written. Yay for blogs! I write a blog for myself, as a record of my life. In several years time, when I’ll have hopefully have had more experiences, and generally be much *ahem* wiser, I’ll be able to look back and say “Ooh, that’s what I was like when I was younger! Why was I such an idiot?” I’m lucky in that respect. What other generation has been able to document their whole life digitally? Websites such as Plurk and Twitter also mean that I can keep track of what I was doing on a particular day, and what my thoughts and emotions were.

There is also an abundance of articles and information on the web, and this means that I no longer have to read through dusty old textbooks to find the relevant information that I need. Less time at the library means more time at home procrastinating on my next task!

Like most people, my primary use of the internet* is to talk to new people, make friends and forge relationships. The sad fact is that there will always be some people who are socially awkward, and I fall directly into that category. I trip over my words in real life, and speak without thinking (which usually means I am known as the ‘sarcastic one’, the one to avoid).
Generally, I hate public speaking, and will avoid it at all costs. But I do know how to write. Typing stuff to someone on the other side of a computer screen is easier for me because it gives me time to phrase my words.
The internet is a refuge; a place to meet and talk to people who actually know what a meme is, unlike most of the general population.

A forum post I read a few months ago stuck with me. I realised that even after I’m long gone, my comments and opinions on various websites will still be floating around the internet, hereby giving me some sort of immortality. Bwahahaha! I is living in ur internetz! Future historians will no longer have to assume what life was like in the early 21st century. They’ll know from something as simple as a Google search. I have no qualms about the internet being here in 1000 or so years, provided the earth doesn’t blow up in our faces then.

*Aside from faffing around with bits of code and wasting time playing games on social networking sites.