to miss the world pre internet?

[ArsenicChaseScream]

On balance, it was better, wasn't it?

ZigZag I am prescribing you an internet detox

Noooo don't inflict me on me!

OP, YANBU
I often think about this and think life would be better if none of this technology had been invented. There'd probably be more jobs for starters.
I'd gladly go back to before it all started in the way it exists now and hide all the plans for it.
My house was tidy, I made more things, saw more of the town, city and country we live in. The (local) world was more hospitable, more friendly and I liked it.

I was just thinking about this very subject. Some aspects of access to the internet are convenient. I like being able to communicate with people via email or private message. At the same time, I quite miss receiving actual letters. I enjoy some websites, including MN, though I find that I can waste a lot of time online. Online shopping is great. It's handy to be able to look up facts quickly, but there is so much rubbish it can be tiresome to wade through.

I notice that my students seem to have a very undeveloped filter for judging more or less accurate information vs. utter tosh. The amount of plagiarism I deal with is directly related to the ease of copying and pasting from (often dubious) websites. I also frequently witness groups of students all staring down at their phones, not interacting with the world around them. IMO the internet has had a negative effect on social interaction and attention span.

I don't have a smartphone. Don't want one, don't need one. I don't have a kindle or any other ereader, and again I don't want one. I only read physical books (though my local library has started to order some books in electronic versions only, which nearly made me weep when I found out). I have consciously limited the sites I visit, e.g. have no interest in Twitter. I'm not a Luddite by any means, but I sometimes find myself a bit wistful for the old days.

yes

But Google maps is amazing. I'm much more adventurous as I know I can't get too lost. Kindle are amazing. They are what I dreamed of as a child. Internet forums are great if you're a bit anti social like me. I can close the page on social interaction whenever I like.

The majority of my life has been lived pre internet and yes there were still constant streams of news, radio, television and newspapers. If you wanted to speak to someone you picked the phone or went to see them. You wrote letters to keep in touch too.

I'm not interested in selebs or X factor feeds so I just don't engage. There is a choice :)

I agree now-adays no one lifts there head from their devices ,,,phone,laptop,Mp player ,,what ever that is! Ipod,internet book,where has all the "PAPER"..gone..... where has ALL the "HUMAN" Communication gone....We are ROBOTS living in ROBOTIC World...I was approached by a women the other week who SMILED ...APPOLOGISED....for doing so and STARTED a CONVERSATION ....With me the whole time she was saying SORRY if she had disturbed my visit to the bank...to be FAIR... I was Happy to talk with her...I left the bank feeling HUMAN again and NOT as technology has made us ALLIENATED from the REAL WORLD.........please TAKE 5MINS in your busy day to switch off your ..phone..laptop..etc etc to COMMUNICATE the SIMPLIER more Natural way and SAVE OUR PLANET....YOU WILL BE SURPRISED at the WONDERS You Will SEE & HEAR........YOU MAY BE TOUCHED BY NATURE X :) X

THATS SO TRUE chottie ... we do have a choicex :)

Elk theory.... Education needs to return to Books Pens etc... then what ever they COPY and PASTE from INTERNET they should then be made to sit and look up from a PAPER DICTIONARY and use their BRAINS to solve the spelling/maths equation without the use of SPELL CHECK/CALCULATOR....old school days this was classed as CHEATING :)

;)

;)

I completely agree with Planetwaves.

The instant access to things cheapens them.

Wasn't it more exciting to wait a week for the next instalment of your favourite programme?

Don't you think that porn is so much more graphic and horrible now because of the instant access, so sneaking your dad's Playboy is no longer exciting?

Saving money to finally buy your favourite album made it so much more wonderful

No way! YABVU..

though my local library has started to order some books in electronic versions only, which nearly made me weep when I found out

Don't confine yourself to weeping. That would make me gnash teeth and tear at my clothes I think.

(I lost it with the library a little bit when they scrapped the silence rule)

You make some good points bealfie

My house was tidy, I made more things, saw more of the town, city and country we live in.

Yes Solo

The instant access to things cheapens them.

That too clara. I almost think we can't fully realise now though. That it isn't quite possible....

Isn't the main point being made that it's our usage that's out of balance rather than the technology itself?

Interestingly, my school is having a return to books away from the Internet as there is too much irrelevant rubbish out there, and there is very little information that is accessible to a ks3 depth of information.

I miss that world everyday and find that it has encroached massively on my relationship with my partner and DS. It's home life it has affected in a bad way for me.

Yes u miss it terribly....

We all made an effort then

Everything is so easy come easy go now.

Yes I miss

Sorry poor grammar. Just woke up and I'm on smartphone even before making a cup of tea!

The Internet is of course amazing and also the biggest blight on our lives.

Our attention span has dropped, our lives are faster, we are more stressed than we've ever been - modern life hurts us.

I remember when my 'then' boyfriend of 20 years ago would walk 2 miles to a phone box with a pocket full of 10 p's

He was in the army and we would write every week.

I actually Pine for those times Op

I think most of that's gone now....we seldom make those efforts anymore....

I hate how things will be for my daughter....