older than youtube
My birth year marks the beginning of an era which I've always found endearing. 2000, Y2K baby. Yes, I know it seems not long ago at all... the fact that I'm an adult shocks me too.
My childhood was great. I have early memories out on the boat with my family, trips to Disney World, crafts at home, sitting in dad's lap while he mowed the lawn, and one of my favorites: making "Fred" videos with my little brother.
If his YouTube channel isn't nostalgic to you, I don't know, but the point is quite ironic. Fred went viral on YouTube about one year after the first iPhone came out! I realize now my brother, and I were so crazed over this pre-teen sucking on helium because it was one of the first viral internet videos we saw.
I genuinely believe that it went on for a few years. We would yell in the most obnoxious high-pitched voices, "Hey! It's Fred!" I'm not sure how my parents coped with that time; those specific memories even make me question whether I really want kids.
It was the very beginning of the Youtube turned to Vine turned to TikTok era, and it's pretty terrifying to see the changes in just my lifetime.
My next big kick to the internet world was downloading Tumblr back in 2011. Little miss emo girl loved anonymously posting sad middle school poetry on there with a username tag @secretlyasecret (yes, you can laugh). It was my peak pre-teen struggle with the whole world, and especially myself. I look back and think about all of the content I was exposed to during that vulnerable time. I saw many things I know now impressioned me into believing that being an adult would be very different.
Thank god Instagram released with perfect timing to help build up the ol' self-esteem. When I scroll way back to my DM's from 2013, I am flooded with TBH's, Smash or Pass chain messages, and even group chats rating people on a 1-10 scale.
I don't have many words for the fact that this was what myself and my generation have been brought up into. I truly believe that the internet has improved us and our world so much but has set us back equally. Social media has made us think that the never-ending scrolling on these apps, watching other people live their highlight reels, will "connect" us.
Depression and suicide rates have risen to historical levels in the last ten years. The violence and the mass shootings have never happened in history like they do today. Is all of that really coincidental? We’ve been engulfed by information overload and constant news. Humans before us never knew all of the things we know going on about the world every day.
I have had to make a considerable effort as an adult to unlearn, always picking up my phone and instantly clicking on either Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter. I set the reminders for time limits on the apps on my phone, and I will literally press the "ignore limit" button the second it pops up. It kind of sounds like a drug, not a social network on the internet…
Depression and suicide rates have risen to historical levels in the last ten years. The violence and the mass shootings have never happened in history like they do today. Is all of that really coincidental?
I genuinely envy the previous generations that have not been bred into it the way I have. Why was I so excited to open my AOL account with my mom? More importantly, why did I choose monkeymouse234 as my username? It’s so funny to reminisce about that memory, especially knowing all the other 2000s babies felt the same.
Now I’m not trying to say that the internet is all bad, and we all need to delete it off our phones. I just think that there needs to be more transparency behind the algorithms these networks are using to keep us hooked on their apps for hours. People need to discuss the harmful effects of spending extended time on your phone.
We often forget that we never previously had a world like this; therefore, we don’t know the effects. The times when I forget that I have a phone are usually my best memories, and the same goes for almost everyone. I don't know if I’m a Gen Z or a millennial, but I do know that I’m a guinea pig to the world of technology, and so are you. So, get outside and maybe read a good book? Take care of yourself first, not the ones living on your phone.
