Life without Internet

Imagine a world without internet. It was totally a different world then when we lived without surfing the net. At that time, everything was too “normal”. Everybody had normal lives and busy with their own backyards. When I was a kid, listening to the sound of motorcycle of Mr Postman delivering letters was one of the best things to look for, especially when you started to meet someone.

Communications were mainly via letters and postcards. Telephone line was not really popular as yet because not many could afford to have a telephone line at home. Do I sound a bit old now? Even TV set during that time is unimaginable by kids now. Our family had a TV with a 2-side door. Luckily it was already a color-TV. There were limitations in getting latest news updates. You could either watch TV news at night, listen to the radio (a “mini-compo” radio was an “in-thing” at that time), or read the newspapers including “Utusan Jawi”.

It was only in the year 1995 when internet started to hit Malaysia and not everybody had the opportunity to experience the new technology. It started rather slowly due to the lack of awareness towards the new information age. In 1996, the country’s first search engine and web portal company, Cari Internet was founded. According to the first Malaysian Internet survey conducted from October to November 1995 by MIMOS and Beta Interactive Services, one out of every thousand Malaysians had access to the Internet (20,000 Internet users out of a population of 20 million. In 1998, this number grew to 2.6% of the population. The total number of computer units sold, which was 467,000 in 1998 and 701,000 in 2000 indicated an increasing growth. As of July 2012 Internet users in Malaysia reached 25.3 million. Out of that number, there are 5 million broadband users, 2.5 million wireless broadband users and 10 million 3G subscribers. (source: Wikipedia)

Most of the Gen-X people like me are not really active users of the internet as compared to Gen-Y and the new Gen-Z. Some said that Gen-Z people cannot live without internet and gadgets as they are too relying on the information technologies. The future world will be towards advanced technologies as a way of life from the smartphones, smart house system, electric and driverless cars and the advanced technologies at workplace. Gone are the days when kids used to play board games, cycling among good friends without fear, sending letters and postcards to pen-pals.

 

For the new generation, the following would be what your parents did before the internet-era, and for those who lived in the pre-internet era, these might give you a good smile:

§   

• Studying at school and universities were tougher during those days. Students had to meet in person when they had a group project. There was no whatsapp, wechat, e-mails and web-conference like what we have now.

• Students went to the library to find books. Now, can just get it online.

• People would go the music stores to buy new albums and this include buying cassette tapes to listen to the music.

• You need to go to the Photoshop to get your photos printed from the camera film roll.

• There were no DVR to help you to record your favourite shows.

•  Actual maps were used to find directions. There was no GPS to help you to find any locations.

• There is no alarm to be set from your smartphones. You had to manually turn your alarm using your real clock.

• You can find jobs in most cities and towns

• We were not bombarded with spam on a daily basis.

• We were a less violent society

• There were no carpal tunnel syndrome in those days  

..and the list continues on and on.. that’s how the amazing life before the internet.