What did we used to do before the internet?

Thoughts From a Toilette

The other night I was at a fancy restaurant. I follow the toilette signs and arrived to a very nice service, those with real hand towels, body lotion and perfume. There were no other customers than me. The bathroom was in the basement, so the internet signal couldn’t reach my cell phone. I don’t usually use my cell phone on the WC, but sometimes, I like to have a little “break” from the chatting and the sharp noises of the cutlery, scrolling. “No network”. Dang! The only alternative left: going through my photos. Already in the cloud, double dang! they looked pixelated. I gave up. I asked myself, why do I want to scroll so urgently? what did I do before the internet?

Memories from my childhood came.

In such a situation, I would gawk at the stains on the wooden door, finding shapes and faces of characters in the grooves. I would look at the beige tiles on the floor, maybe count them, play at not stepping on the joints, look at the material of the knob, metal, and how clean the paper dispenser was. I started to have my “break” in a different way. I felt relaxed, my mind was free. I wished there was no internet. Living in a kind of movie where one day you wake up and suddenly, there is no signal in the whole world.

It would surely be the apocalypse.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the internet, this blog is possible because of the net. You reading me and vice-versa is only possible because of the connection. I see its magic, it’s a powerful tool if you know how to use it. I could not have known all the amazing things I know now without it: books, movies, songs (from all countries). Things that have literally changed my life and made it better. I get most of my clients through social networks, I connect with companies, and constantly educate myself with online courses to keep learning and up to date.

But our use of the internet is a true reflection of the human brain. The anxieties, addictions, and fears. It is the escape we go to nowadays. It’s easy to have a different identity there, to pretend another life, to show off or embellish our reality. I am not saying that it is something good or bad. Something as complex is not just black and white, few things in life are. It has been something evolutionary, inevitable. But many times I ask myself, what would life be like without the internet? Just like I wonder what life would be like without money. Is it something really necessary or it is something that has been imposed on us?

I was a baby of the 90’s. I grew up with Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Nintendo and PlayStations. When I was 10 years old, we had our first computer at home, shared between 5 people. We didn’t have internet but you know what they say, you don’t need it if you never had it. It was enough for me to be able to draw in Paint and play with Encarta, solitaire, or Minesweeper.

Soon after, internet cafes started to become a thing. It was a business where there could be up to 10 computers. The hour cost 1000 pesos. I would go for half an hour with a single coin my mom would give me. After paying, the owner would tell me which computer to sit at and activate the internet for me. I could see the time running out on a timer, after 30 minutes, the computer would turn off. Beautiful minutes were those. Although the offers on websites were not as vast, well-designed, and interesting as there are today, there was DevianArt back then, online games, and music with English lyrics simultaneously and I’m sure I would have designated 3 minutes for my homework.

I also remember enjoying more analog games with my family. Bingo, Battleship, Monopoly, or making up riddles. We would sit down to do newspaper activities, sudoku, crossword puzzles, detective games or Find the 6 Differences. Now most nights are focused on Netflix and its infinite and ever expanding catalog.

In the afternoons, I would meet with all the kids in my building, play Hide and Seek, Cops and Robbers, and tell each other horror stories. We would make up any story to chase away boredom.

People used to talk to each other more often. For finding an address, we were more likely to approach strangers and ask for directions. The internet has either increased our shyness or many times doesn’t force us to overcome it. 

The cell phone is the home of the internet, just like the computer. Two years ago I challenged myself to do a cell phone fasting for 30 days. During that time, I could only use my phone for half an hour a day, to answer messages from my family and friends and to post on Instagram about my experience, documenting my process. I also wasn’t allowed to use YouTube, my biggest addiction. It was hard. YouTube makes me happy, or at least it makes me think so. Setting up appointments with friends and waiting for hours because I wasn’t aware of any setbacks was frustrating, I had to ask strangers if they could look up my friends on Instagram and leave them a message. To my happiness, everyone I asked these absurd questions did not hesitate to help me. It was fun.

I recommend it! Phone Fasting can be something that forces us to go back to a simpler life or live a life, of which we are not aware. A life that might reveal us secrets, like how to be with our own selves, perhaps in silence, without so many notifications and fake urgencies. 

We are so used to the immediacy of the internet. Quickly get out of doubt, check the finances, order food, call a friend, write a message, and make a post. I don’t think the human brain has developed as fast as the internet.

We can use, enjoy, explore, and take advantage of it, but with certain limits for ourselves and those around us. Yet, I still love YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, and all the wonderful things the internet offers us, the people we can meet, the power, art, and science of memes.

What did you do before having access to the Internet almost everywhere?

Dare you to leave your cell phone at home one day a week? It’s a scary thought. When did we let life become so absurd?

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My Week on Senses

What have I been up to this week? A description of what my senses have felt!

👂I live in the countryside and have never seen any primates around the area. But I could swear last night there was a howling monkey. My mom was witness.

👀 Gilmore Girls. It’s never too late for a good ol’ classic. Right?

👅Arepas and more arepas. They are never enough. The secret of not getting tired of them is their filling. I have some guides for y’all to try: meaty and vegan.

👐 Giant hairy spider, again.

👃 Poultry manure. Amazing. Great for the plants.

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