100 Things//Ways the web has changed the world

The Newspaper itself is one of the most universal ways of keeping people up-to-date with what is happening in the world. It poses controversial questions, explores worldwide problems and reports significant events. However, while researching the development of the newspaper it seems that as time has gone on some newspapers have taken a more modern day approach. Making celebrities and general catastrophes the main focal point.  Some people may debate that this is what today’s generation want to read about rather than politics and extreme cases of crime.

While looking at the telegraph I stumbled across an article ‘Ways the web had changed the world’ which was created due to the response of ’50 things that are being killed off by the internet’. The first article posted the idea that the Internet has wrought huge changes on our lives – both positive and negative – in the fifteen years since its use became widespread. Even though the article does include some humor, it does have some fair and relevant points.

Similarly to my view on the virtual world, the Telegraph suggests that tasks that once took days can be completed in seconds, while traditions and skills that emerged over centuries have been made all but redundant. The article consist of fifty things that they feel have been altered by the invention that is the Internet. Such as

• Listening to an album all the way through- The single is one of the unlikely beneficiaries of the Internet – a development that can be looked at in two ways. There's no longer any need to endure eight tracks of filler for a couple of decent tunes, but will "album albums" like Radio head’s Amnesiac get the widespread hearing they deserve?
• Memory-When almost any fact, no matter how obscure, can be dug up within seconds through Google and Wikipedia, there is less value attached to the "mere" storage and retrieval of knowledge. What becomes important is how you use it – the Internet age rewards creativity.

The article makes the point that it is even the simplest things that we overlook in everyday life that are slowly being replaced. I want to apply this theory to my project, in that looking at traditional process and ways of completing everyday tasks now has a digital correspondent, which takes over the original course of action.

The list of things killed off by the Internet provoked indignation and sparked nostalgia. Leading the Telegraph to create a follow-up article titled ‘Ways the web has changed the world’. It asks the question ‘When was the last time you checked Ceefax, received a hand-written letter, or displayed your holiday photos in an album?’ And quickly respond with ‘If you’re one of the estimated 17 million Britons not connected to the Internet, the answer might be “this morning”. But for the growing numbers of people who spend much of their time online these and many other activities are dying out.’

It was the ways that the Internet is changing the way we think and behave, and in the process killing life experiences and habits that have emerged over centuries, that drew the most discussion from the previous article.

‘Ways the web has changed the world’ simply supports the idea that things have developed. Even though it is mostly done from a negative angle, I don’t think the intention of the article is to doubt the development of the virtual world. It is just taking the time to appreciate and realize what has changed due to the invention that is the Internet. For example, ‘the Internet can also be blamed for the decline of free time. Those rainy days that we would once have filled by re-reading a favourite novel or clearing out the drawers are now consumed by idle surfing.’ People have different views on how the digital age is affecting the world. However, for some people it is just a case of letting go of traditions and coming to terms with the fact that change is inevitable. On the other hand, the majority of people are happy to go with the flow and accept the development and alterations to everyday tasks. I feel that this is what the article is really trying to get at; even if does have a slightly comical and witty façade.

I feel these two articles have given me a better perspective on how development and change is crucial to the way of living. Both in the virtual world and reality, things are revolutionary. It is part of life. Therefore I want my project to focus on things that aren’t in so much use anymore due to the digital age. However I don’t want it to be a statement that the internet has ruined traditional processes, I just want it to be something that can portray what we used have and how we can still appreciate them.