I have to admit I enjoy the internet. There are many aspects to the internet, such as research and communication, that I enjoy. But I wonder if we would have been somehow deficient if we never had the internet? People still were able to research information. I can remember many happy nights in the library with my friends learning about whatever topic we needed to study. I knew that the information was outdated to a degree but I learned how to be discerning when I chose my material for a research paper. I learned the patience required to look through volumes of information to find the right thing. I bounced ideas off my friends and listened to what they had to say. That way, we all gained a greater understanding of the topic. People were still able to communicate. Letters took a while to get to where they were going, but there was always an anticipation when you went to the mailbox. You had a piece of paper, like a piece of that person, to carry around with you and savor at various times. The response that you sent back was carefully thought out becoming time that you spent thinking of that person. If the letter somehow contained information that was upsetting to you, you had something you could rip up, releasing that emotion without causing harm.
I don't think I want to go back to a world without the internet. I use it to learn and keep in touch. But I miss the days before the internet. I miss the simplicity and innocence of the time.
