My First Time... Online

Oh, the Internet. It seems as if it’s been around my entire life and yet I can still remember a time when it was not. It’s odd to think there was ever period in my life when I was not attached to a smartphone or hopelessly dependent on an Internet-capable device. I guess American Horror Story: Murder House’s Vivienne Harmon said it best, “we are a slave to our conveniences.”


One of my first memories using the Internet is from the late 1990s. My mom had just purchased a Hewlett-Packard desktop. After putting together the brand new computer desk and office chair, my state-of-the-art information superhighway—a cliché and outdated term I know, but remember this was the 1990s after all—was ready. At first, I spent a considerably decent amount of time playing the preinstalled version of solitaire while “The Amanda Show” aired in the background on the large television set behind me. Then, somehow, I ended up with one of those AOL discs that provide you with X-amount of time to browse the internet for free. The Internet and all information the world could know at that point was mine. And how did I use it? By playing solitaire, but online of course! Because what else is a nine-year-old going to do with the new-fangled technology, right? Right.

Although I spent a pretty large portion of my life with the Internet and an almost as copious span on social media, it wasn’t until September 10th, 2011 that everything really started picking up. Why? That’s the day I bought my first smartphone. How do I know that? I made a Facebook status about it. Do I remember that moment vividly? No, however, I do remember the fact that I posted it the same day it happened. All I had to do was search “Briana White smart phone [sic]” on the aforementioned social platform to find the exact Facebook status. See, I told you I spent a relatively copious chunk of my life on social media. If one has a terrible memory, social media can serve as a great way to keep a record of your life’s events.


Since we’re on the subject of social media use, it is worth a mention that the landscape of social media has changed over time. While chat rooms, LiveJournal, BlackPlanet, and yes even AOL Instant Messager all existed prior to the social media era as we currently know it, it didn’t nearly have the booming effect that MySpace had. In its heyday, people were updating statuses, changing their Top 8, sharing posts, and adding comments in a way that just hadn’t been seen before. It truly was the first leap for mankind in the direction of constant connection we know today. After MySpace came Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, smart TVs, iPhones, etc. What we now have is an Internet of Things. You can share the monotony of your day with strangers or recount your tumultuous breakup.  Social media is everywhere and simultaneously intangible. Proceed with caution.