With the internet playing such a large part in our lives, it is hard to believe that as little as 15 years ago it was a relatively new thing, and only just starting out.
Nowadays, with most people having internet access in their own homes, there is a whole online community out there and people can theoretically live their lives via the internet.
I think the internet is a fantastic thing. People living in the middle of nowhere, or unable to leave the house for any reason can shop online, doing all their grocery shopping via their computer, which then gets delivered to them.
People feeling isolated, seeking support, or generally just wanting to read parenting funny stories and find recipes etc can find parenting forums to visit, with a whole community of posters ready to chat to.
Even not being able to go out and see your friends due to lack of babysitters or emigrating to another country isn’t a problem now.
Via sites such as facebook, you can link up to, chat to, and even use the new web cam type chat to chat to them in person. It doesn’t matter if they’re in England or New Zealand, the world has become a lot smaller and more connected – thanks to the internet, we can keep in instant contact.
If you wanted to ring somebody abroad in the early/mid 90’s, you had to use your house phone as there was no other way of doing it.
Flick through the phone book, find the international dialling code and ring the number which puts you through to someone who actually sounds like they are at the other side of the world as they sounded so far away.
It’s hard to believe that mobile phones were not even commonplace at the beginning of the 90’s and the ones that were about were the size of small house.
All of this progression in technology is a great thing, and can help to make a lot of people who are generally isolated feel a lot less cut off and part of the world again.
The only downside to the internet is to actually remember to go out and interact with people in real life if you can, as well!
The internet can be great, but real life human contact and social interaction is just as important.
The London Conference on Cyberspace is taking place this week, and will be discussing the benefits and the challenges of the internet.
Mumsnet Bloggers will be there to discuss the social side of the internet and have asked for people to write on this subject.