How We Live Our Lives in the Digital Age

When I came to the US, I was always homesick. I missed my parents, siblings and friends. Actually, I missed Germany itself. Everything was very strange and unknown for me. Once, when I started crying on the phone my mom got angry. She told me that when she immigrated to Germany she had a hard time. First, she had no home phone to call her relatives and it was very expensive so she could call only twice the month and only for a few minutes. Second, there was no Internet and hence no msn. She could not talk to them face to face every day for hours. Her last point was the cell phone. Through the cell phone we can always keep in touch and we have not to worry about our family and friends. Now, when we compare the time from the 80’s with today I can say it is much cheaper to communicate and also there are more ways to keep in touch with your loved once. My mom was right, now it is easier to leave your country and not to be homesick. MSN aslo changed the way how we write and talk to each other LOL

In the past we always looked up unknown words in lexipedia which were very expensive and not everybody had a good one at home. Nowadays, we can use Google or other searching machines for information. Even we use it as a verb “If you do not know it, Google it”. It made it easier to reach faster information. If you have a computer and Internet you can get all information and knowledge. On the one hand it made it easier to become educated but on the other hand we are overloaded of information and it is harder to select the needed from the detailed information, which we read.

So, Internet made it possible to communicate and get all information but one disadvantage is that you cannot carry your laptop or computer everywhere. You do not have everywhere Internet access. This disadvantage is covered since the past 5-6 years through the smart phones. We carry our phones everywhere and wireless made it possible to have Internet access. When you get hungry you can just “Google” some restaurants or cafés, when you want to go to a certain place Google map will guide you, you can check your emails and work, flirt, or just communicate with your family and friends. Smart phones made us permanent online and accessible. Sometimes it is good but sometimes you just want to be alone by yourself. Just watch this video and you will see what I am trying to say.

I found a video which summarizes all my thoughts, how the digital age changed our lives.

Ayse