10 years on the internet

Looking back at my 10-year journey with the internet, I can't help but feel nostalgic. It's amazing how much the internet has evolved since I was first introduced to it as a young child. From painfully slow downloads and expensive data rates to lightning-fast 4G connections and affordable plans, it's been quite a ride.

Not everything has been great though. The internet has also brought with it a lot of negative aspects. Read through to find out what I mean.

When I was in 1st Grade, I was introduced to the internet. I admit I had no damn clue what it actually was (mind you I was only 6 years old). But I had this idea that you could look for anything you wanted on the internet.

I mean partially true right?

Back then the internet (in India) was really expensive. And it was a luxury item.

Here are some rates I remember:

NOTE: $1 = ₹67 (in 2015)

₹ 103 = 100 MB for 30 days
₹ 750 = 1 GB for 30 days

These rates are jaw-droppingly overpriced compared to today.

I became a regular user of the internet in the 2015-ish time. I remember I wanted to be a DJ and music producer so I used to vibe to different artists on Soundcloud. I downloaded FL Studio and I kept trying to be the next prodigy. Every song 5 MB song used to take like 10 minutes to download on a good day.

It was also during this time I got on to social media (much to dismay of my family 😂). Everytime I told someone I was on Facebook they used to freak out (Justified as I was 10 year old). Today almost every teenager has a social media presence but back then it was a big deal for a teenager to be on social media.

I remember I also had this small keypad phone which had Opera inbuilt. So I used to browse Facebook on it painfully using those tiny keys.

My desire to become a world famous DJ later faded away as did my pocket money to buy internet. 😔

Over the years the internet did get a lot cheaper and a lot faster (thanks to 4G internet). I still posted to social media although my content isn't as cringe-worthy as it once was. I should also admit I spent many Gigabytes watching some not-so-family-friendly content 😆 (If you know, you know). I still listened to music a lot although that desire to become a DJ demised.

The years 2016-2019 were the best years of my life. I did not spend too much time online. I was busy doing the usual high school stuff (you know, bunking classes, bullying juniors, having fun with friends, the usual stuff). I got a smartphone in 2019 and that certainly impacted my life. I admit life was better before me and my friends all had one.

2020 (And 1 lockdown) later, I am now a self taught developer. I learned a lot of programming during the lockdown period. While I had dabbled in coding since 2018, I took it more seriously during the lockdown. I learned web development, some automation, yada yada the usual stuff...

There you have me, now a completely baffled young adult (Still childish however). That was my 10 year journey of the internet.

As much as I love the internet there are some things I hate.

• For one, "social" media has nothing to do with being social. In my younger years, people indulged in face-to-face fun. Nowadays, social media has made everything feel unnatural, and there's nothing raw anymore.

• Mobile Phones everywhere. Do I really need to elaborate on this? Everywhere you go you'll find people with their phones out. Nobody wants to engage in activities anymore. Games, entertainment is fun until you grow old to find out you missed on so many stuff.

• Videography. Everyone wants to record for the show but nobody wants to capture for the memories. You go to any concerts or other places you'll find people recording for flexing to others. It just ruins the moment.

Looking back at my 10-year journey with the internet, I can't help but feel grateful for all the wonderful experiences it has brought into my life. From discovering my passion for music and other hobbies, to becoming a self-taught developer, the internet has been a catalyst for my personal growth.

But as much as I love the internet, I can't help but feel nostalgic for the simpler times. The 80s were the best time to be alive, where face-to-face interactions were the norm and people captured memories in their hearts, not on their smartphones.

What do you think?