Spinning Our Own Internet Web

To have control over one's life in the 21st Century, it has become almost obligatory to be Virtually Aware. What I mean by this is one quickly gets left behind in many respects if they are not online, partaking of all the Net has to offer. Even seniors of today have email addresses and perhaps an website or two that they access.

The Web is aptly named. Each of us sits in a little corner of our own which is connected to a vast network. What we do with our personal cyberspace is up to us.

Chief among the gifts the internet brings is information. Most if us have become savvy enough to navigate and discern garbage from gold. I personally do a lot of research online. While many sources are safe and accurate, checking information from non-accredited sites is crucial. As parents, we have access to millions of opinions within a few keystrokes. Building a trusted network and making new contacts is a viable way to grow the interchange of information we participate in.

Managing personal affairs is tantalizingly easy online. I can take care of my bill-paying, banking, comparison-shopping, photo-processing, sometimes even make doctor's appointments. Correspondence and staying linked in with old and new contacts has become very enjoyable, and many of us would feel the lack if Facebook, Tweeting, and all similar pursuits were suddenly shut down. General strangers don't care what my latest mood is or where I found that excellent DVD, as my online posse does.

Mostly I get headlines and entertainment news online. When my power is out for awhile or my internet connection is non-existent for more than a few hours, I am at a loss. I can't check my email nor see what is happening in the world. I can't search for specific-to-my-taste stuff to read about.

Where all this will lead is exciting to ponder. How this world wide web will change our human race is an exciting project that this anthropology student is avidly following.