Exploring Writing and Communication Before the Internet's Popularity

This essay examines the profound impact of the internet on writing, communication, and information access. It contrasts traditional methods like letter writing, newspapers, and library research with modern practices such as email, online news, and search engines. The essay highlights the advantages the internet offers, especially for students, in terms of speed, accessibility, and the breadth of information available. It also touches upon the evolution of discussions and the shift in societal norms due to the internet's influence, underscoring the rapid pace of technological progress and its effects on how people connect and consume information. The essay references sources that support its claims about the transformation of communication and information retrieval in the digital age.

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Writing Before the Popularity of the Internet
The internet has matured from a couple of interconnected computers to something extraordinary.
The popularity of internet exploded in the mid-1990s, and it has been changing the way the
society works. Before all that, people used to rely on traditional means of doing things. In 1992,
Neil Postman asked how the internet has been an advantage to people, and the following essay
seeks to answer that question while it relates to writing.
The first example is how people have changed their way of communication. Jotting
letters to family and friends who are not near you was normal. People used to sit and use a pen
and paper to write what they want the other person to know. It took a person about 10 minutes,
or even an hour, depending on the length of the letter. After that, the paper was supposed to be
put in an envelope; a stamp stuck on the shell, and the letter dropped in a mailbox (Griffith).
Delivery used to take some days. In modern day, people use emails, and it takes only a few
seconds for the recipient to receive their mail.
Before the internet, people used to rely on newspapers and the evening news to know all
about the events of the day. People would watch the story in the evening and read papers in the
morning. By the time information reached people, the time had already gone. Now people use
the internet to watch the news, which is covered there as events unfold (Gunter). News channels
have created their websites, which they use to pass information

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Students are the most advantaged by the internet. The students of today have more
information on time than in the past. If in the past students needed to research, they would need
to go to the library and read through books, newspapers and other written stuff (Glassman). Then
copies would be made (Bertot, Jaeger and McClure). Nowadays, students type keywords in
search engines, and anything they were searching for appears immediately.
Discussions have likewise observed a change as innovation advanced; as opposed to a
simple shift in outlook as with email versus letters, this distinction might be seen as a more
significant amount of an "update." Previously, the best way to have a live discussion with
somebody in an alternate area was to speak via phone. If we needed to converse with Grandma
on Christmas Day, our sole decision was to get the telephone and call her. That has not changed
especially because the phone has developed close by the Internet; at the same time, we now have
more alternatives accessible to us. Notwithstanding having a telephone discussion with
somebody, we can now be able to use computers to talk, or even exploit the content informing
capacity on the telephones themselves. With the improvement of Skype, Whatsapp and the
introduction of the smart phone, we can even place video calls as predicted in exemplary TV
shows, for example, The Jetsons.
Anyone who remembers how things were may have nostalgia, and could even restrain
from stories related to the past while addressing the young people. Individuals who are reluctant
on how different information is passed can be hostile towards something that may have happened
in the past. What they do not understand is that progress waits for no man. The society has seen a
much-needed shift because of the influence from the community.

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Works Cited
Bertot, John Carlo, Paul T Jaeger and Charles R McClure. Public libraries and the Internet :
roles, perspectives, and implications. Santa Barbara: Libraries Unlimited, 2011.
Glassman, Michael. Educational psychology and the internet. New York: Cambridge University
Press, 2016.
Griffith, Susan. Work your way around the world. 2011: Crimson, Richmond .
Gunter, Barrie. News and the Net. 2016: Routledge, New York.