orderfromchaos:

Think of the internet, for a second. Many of us will have a physical notion of the internet, given to us by science fiction: that the internet is a physical place that one can go to, where the rules are different, where society is different, where physics may be different (think the Matrix).

This…

Couldn’t just leave this floating on my dash.
I like the idea presented, how the internet is much MUCH more ingrained in us than a certain location. It is certainly a part of culture that I cannot escape, especially given my chosen job field. Everything and everyone in this industry is connected via computer. You get jobs via computer, look at work via computer, interview via computer. Freelance work has evolved so much due to this. I doubt so many would be successful without it. But that’s moving away from Remi’s point.
I don’t see the internet as an isolated place, but more as an extension. The ‘place’ aspect of it exists merely due to my brain, in an attempt to categorize it based on my interactions with it. And yes, the terminology developed has a lot to do with it. It’s hard to look at this phenomenon objectively, as I have been using a computer since a very young age. I remember much in the way of “turn off the tv” that my parents would give me only 4 hours a day for AIM. I didn’t use much else on the computer besides maybe neopets and the sims, but it has been something for me for a very long time. Something, that I always naturally gravitated to.
I also do remember spending long days outside with my dog, going on walks, jumping in leaves…but it seems too nostalgic to be really true. People have still learned to ride bikes and own pets and play baseball with their kids. The computer didn’t change what kind of person you would be.
I don’t know what effect not using the internet or a computer would have on me, I don’t think I could do it willingly with the path and goals I have set out for myself. My brain demands information and reassurance at a rate that is insatiable. I am moved by what is possible and what is becoming possible, why would I limit myself from that?