As soon as the internet infiltrated the home, increasingly, like a really bad virus, the world became a different place. I remember my early experiences with a computer, a black screen and a neon green line. Atleast that what I can recall. A few years later, I remember being entertained for hours by the parrot in the computer who would ’speak’ the words I would type. We were banned from using it for a while when my aunt heard the parrot squak some really naughty words. The culprit… me of course but I wasn’t going to, and didn’t dare admit it then.
I am from Brunei and I have lived in Melbourne since I was 20 (I am now 27). About two years ago, I went home for holidays and was reintroduced to my new little cousins. Clearly a generation more advanced than my own. As a 9 year old, the computer was a magical box to me. How on earth can that parrot be able to sound out my typed words? It was technology at it’s best and it hadn’t even been plugged into the phone socket yet!
Today, my 9 year old cousin has a friendster profile, an msn account and googles information about his favourite TV shows. I am no longer active on Friendster as I was previously. Why? Firstly, I’ve moved on to facebook but really, it’s because over the past few years, I’ve been surprised by friend invites from quite a few of my younger family members. Almost 50% of my relatives on my friend list are under 12 (disguised as 16 year olds) and to be honest, I don’t quite like them knowing what I get up to and discuss on friendster. On the upside, I feel much closer to them from closely monitoring their profiles and finding out what they do and what their lives entail from the many pictures they’ve posted from their cell phones (another thing I didn’t have at 9 years old).
My oh my, how the world has changed.
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