interwebz.

Unlike many of the other teenagers that belong to my generation, I did not have the privilege of using the internet in class at school. In elementary, our computer teacher only focused on teaching us how to play simple point-and-click educational games that taught us how to type and generally how to interact with the unit. Eventually, we worked on using document processing, presentation making and electronic spreadsheet software but the farthest we ever went was basic programming and html formatting for websites that we could view without logging onto the internet.

However, because I belonged to a fairly well-to-do family that gave us the means to explore the many possibilities modern technology has to offer, I was introduced to the internet in my final year of elementary. I emulated my older brother and spent some time in chat rooms, talking to older foreigners who found it hard to believe how young I really was. Again, unlike some of my peers that have had traumatizing experiences with mean people or even pedophiles, the people that I met were generally nice and friendly.

When I had ventured to surfing the internet, I began by posting a WANTED: PEN PAL on a child-friendly website. I met a girl from this country that I would eventually become good friends with. Incidentally, she was the one that encouraged me to start blogging five years ago. I have been sharing my thoughts on cyberspace on and off (mostly off) ever since.

While I still enjoy blogging occasionally, the service that I am undeniably addicted to is the social networking sites. I can spend hours on end on these sites just talking to my friends (especially those I don’t see anymore) and – as much as I am ashamed to say it – anonymously stalk people I’m interested in.

Using the internet is a good way to pass time but more importantly, many people rely on it to keep them connected to long-lost friends or to even meet new people. Nonetheless, I still believe that the availability and convenience of the internet stops us from exerting the extra effort to find time for the people that matter to us and maybe even the opportunity to explore and venture out to worlds unknown to actually socialize and mingle in real life.