Life before vs Life after the Web
This week, the World Wide Web turned 25! Seems strange to think that it is only a little bit older than me!
The Metro ran an article where they looked at 11 ways that the web has changed our lives.
I thought I would add to the list some more ways that I thought of.
Enjoy.
1. Sharing photos
Before: Use up the rest of the film used for the holiday pictures and then take it to the chemist to be printed. “Would you like the 24 hour service or the 7 day service?”
After: Plug camera into computer. Log on to Facebook. Upload all photos. Spend 24 hours tagging them all.
2. Selling stuff
Before: Put a hand written note in the corner shop window. If you are feeling really posh, make a listing in the local paper or in the Loot newspaper. Wait by the phone.
After: Take amazing pictures from every angle. Create a listing on a website such as eBay, go about your day whilst buyers have a bidding war over your item.
3. Fund raising for sponsored activity
Before: Get people to pledge how much they will donate for you to do something. Spend three months following the event tracking down the pledgers, who are suddenly always busy.
After: Create a page on Justgiving. Spread this page through the power of social media. Anyone who pledges automatically has money taken from their account and placed directly in the hands of the charity.
4. School research project
Before: Go to the library and use the Dewey Decimal System to locate the books on the topic. “The book is checked out for another week?! But the deadline is tomorrow!”
After: Google.
5. Topup pay as you go phones (does anyone even have these anymore?)
Before: Down the local shop. “Hi can I have £10 top up for O2 please.” “O2?” “Yes, O2″ (seriously, the guy in the sweet shop would always do this double check and it would infuriate me inside. You heard the £10 part correctly, so why do you need to know the network again!?). Then call a number, and type a 10000 digit number to load your call time. That is if your top up ticket doesn’t get wet or blown away by the wind.
After: Log into the network’s website and top up online. Balance is added instantly.
It is interesting to note that in all these scenarios, the World Wide Web on its own did not do anything. It was people who used this amazing tool to create and do even more amazing things.