Write about someone or something you’re thankful for.
There are many things in my life that I feel I am privileged to have, but don't always appreciate. I don't have to worry about where my next meal will come from, whether or not I will have electricity, if I will have a roof over my head etc. And while I am very grateful to have those things, they can be hard to appreciate when you accept them as the norm like so many people do. But one thing that I am absolutely thankful for is the ability to access the internet. While this ability is far from essential to living in the modern world, the truth is the internet had helped me in more ways than I can count. The one I am thankful right now is the internet's ability to provide me an online way of writing. Those who know me know that my handwriting is remarkably bad, and it has been that way every since I was little. So I will always choose the option to type instead of write when it comes to writing projects. I can only imagine the pain my teachers would have to go through reading 3+ page written essays if I didn't have access to the internet to type it. Additionally, I am also grateful for the access of academic sources that the internet gives access to. It's hard to imagine that 40 years ago people would have to comb through several academic books and sources when nowadays targeted google searches can fix that issue in an instant.
Another massive perk of the internet is the ability to communicate with people thousands of miles away in an instant. While there are things like telephones that can also fill the same function, they cannot compete with the internets sheer bulk of different websites for communication. Discord, Slack, GROUPME, etc. There are countless different websites for long distance communications each with their own different benefits like voice channels, webcam integrations, and more. There is no comparison to the internet in terms of communication. It has allowed me to stay in contact with friends who have moved miles away as well as meet people whom I would have never met if it wasn't for the internet. It is also helpful for talking with people whom you aren't familiar with to the point where you are more comfortable meeting them in person. Lastly, I have found that online communication is incredibly helpful for group meetings. The internet can connect several people all in different locations, something I am incredibly lucky to have access to.
The feature of the internet that I have leaned on the most is the access to millions of online tutorials. the internet is a place where you can google search any topic you want and have 10 different people explain it to you in various levels of depth. I can't count the amount of times where I have spontaneously wanted to learn something and immediately went to the internet for answers. The internet is a great beginner friendly place to jump into a topic you want to learn but don't know where to start with. The internet can also provide access to academic tutorials. I have used several sites like Khan Academy to help quickly understand a practice a topic I was having trouble with. Without the internet, I would be heavily limited in the different subjects I could explore.
But the reason why I am the most grateful for is the internet's access to online games. While I enjoy single player games, nothing beats being able to hang out and play games online with your friends. Some of my best memories are staying up late playing video games with my friends. Especially as a kid, you are limited in the amount of time you can see people face to face. So being able to go online and hangout with people is very nice. There's also the feature of being able to meet new people through online games. I have played hours with people who I will probably never meet again yet I was still able to have an enjoyable experience with them.
While the internet isn't the most important thing I am lucky to have access to. I am still grateful for all of the ways it benefits my life.
This is an exceptionally well thought out blog post. I really like how you go over so many reasons why you're grateful for the internet beyond the usual couple that come to mind right away. You cover both the practical and the entertaining, as well as specifics, like your experiences with playing video games. Great post.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw this question, the internet wasn't the very first thing I thought of, but it's a super good answer. All the reasons you gave are pretty spot on as to how useful it is. I like the little point you made at the end. The things we're thankful for, don't necessarily have to only include major things we see as most important.
ReplyDeleteWow! This blog is very well done, it has so many thoughts and things that I would have just taken for granted. I would have not taken on some of the ideas that you presented. Another thing that I found interesting is how you see the internet for primarily academics and learning how to do something. I'm surprised you were able to expand so much on the topic.
ReplyDeleteReading your post made me realize how there's a lot to explore on the world wide web, not just surfing the internet or such but also how it's a viable tool for everyone to use and discover new things with! I like all the different examples you gave as well.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I was expecting the internet to be your response to this particular prompt, but I think your blog does a good job of explaining why you appreciate it as much as you do. I don't think I could ever give it as an answer because as helpful as it is, the amount of homework we now have to do through the internet is overwhelming and often overrules the possibilities for me. Great Post.
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