10 Ways the Internet has Changed the World

Communication

Back in the stone ages a phone call, letter, or knock on the door was required to communicate with someone. Then you would have to wait for a reply to your letter or leave a message on their answering machine if they weren’t home when you called. It was a very difficult time. Thankfully, we now have more instant communication like options like text, email, video chat, and social media.

Travel

Pulling out an atlas before a road trip (and having several direction arguments while en route) or waiting in line at an airline ticket office to book a flight is a basically extinct. Thanks to Google Maps, GPS devices and online travel agencies like Travelocity, and Priceline, planning a trip or getting to your destination is just a few clicks or touches away.

Shopping

Visiting the physical location of a store to make a purchase is no longer a must when shopping for a particular item. Now you can search for the product online, compare prices between various retailers, and then make your purchase all while sitting on your couch, watching Breaking Bad http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903747, and eating ice cream in your PJ’s after normal business hours.

Research

When you're looking for answers there's Google, Wikipedia, and WebMD just to name a few. From researching the Paleo diet and DIY tips, to checking symptoms associated with an ailment, online searches have made us our own doctors, nutritionists, and home improvement gurus. In a matter of minutes, with just the click of a button, you can go from knowing nothing about a topic to being the subject matter expert.

News and Weather

Gone are the days of waiting for the morning paper to hit your front porch to get your daily dose of news and weather. Now you can grab your tablet and scroll through the headlines of various media outlets and check the local radar all before you have your first cup of dark roast, Columbian coffee with cream and sugar.

Banking

Believe it or not, there was a time when you actually had to visit or call a bank in order to check your account balance. Now you never have to wait in a long line on Friday afternoon to get cash or deposit your pay check. You just sign in to your account online (or tap on the app on your smartphone) and you have the most up-to-date information at your fingertips.

Education

Getting your college degree is more accessible than it was twenty years ago. Working adults who aren’t able to travel to a traditional campus can now get a degree at home, while cooking dinner, washing five loads of laundry, and doing a 3rd grade science project.

Entertainment

Remember when you had to set your VCR to record Seinfeld and All My Children? Or visit the video store to rent a movie? Now you can watch your favorite shows and movies whenever you want thanks to streaming content.

Dating

The pressure of meeting someone to marry at your best friend’s wedding is long gone. Now you can find your perfect mate by simply filling out a profile about yourself on a dating website and then wait on the virtual winks to fill up your mailbox.

Job Search

Finding a job used to require going through the classifieds in the Sunday paper or, even worse, visiting a business in person (gasp!) and dropping of your resume. Now you can post your profile on job networking sites or search and apply online through employment websites.

Hope you have had as much fun as I have reminiscing about the olden days before the Internet. Need an online connection to do your shopping, researching, or banking? Check out Windstream’s High-Speed Internet plans and start saving today!