“Web”ster’s Dictionary

The web is completely altering the way humans do everything. Sometimes I wonder, is the web altering humans themselves?? Is the web, apart from changing the way we do things, also changing the way we think?? As part of a generation of “Web”sters, for whom the web is as indispensable a part of their lives as food, I wonder if the web is actually modifying our behavior, our attitudes, and our very nature itself.

But lets reserve the topic “Psychological Effects of the World Wide Web” for some PhD student. This post is about the 3 elements of the web, which have become an integral part of my life. I am sure most other “Web”sters will share my thoughts.

Mailboxes

The mailbox has become the primary way in which we stay in touch with people. I write more mails a day than I make telephone calls. I write mails to more people a day than I talk to. Our mailboxes are fast becoming our most important virtual possessions, containing information about everything we do, be it official or personal.

How many MBs of my Gmail mailbox am I currently using?? Just 587 MB.

Passwords

Can you count the number of different places you need to use passwords?? Bank accounts, ATMs, online subscriptions, mailboxes, everything requires a password. With the threat of online theft always lurking around, it is highly unsafe to use the same password everywhere. And greater the number of different passwords you have, greater is the chance of forgetting them every now and then. Nothing can be more annoying than forgetting a password when trying to access anything important online.

Without your password, you are nobody. Amnesia has become even deadlier now.

Blogs

One of the great fads of the 21st century is surely going to be Blogging. Blogs have truly taken freedom of speech to the next level, and given anyone who wants to express something, a public platform to do so. Blogs are destined to become great public-opinion builders of the future. Just like every computer literate person has a mailbox today, everyone may soon possess a blog of his own. And terms like “Blogophile”- a person who loves writing and reading blogs, might soon be introduced in the dictionary.

"The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers." – Sidney J Harris