When AOL and dial up service first came out 1989, it was dawn of a new era.The installation CDs were everywhere.People used them as coasters or portable frisbees.
The mail carrier delivered hundreds of them a week.Now they are in the Smithsonian.along with the other dinosaurs of early technology, like VCR players, Blackberries and Pagers.At the time, though..At the time, AOL was a transformative technology.Imagine all the information at your fingertips! All the connections! Reaching out across space and time to find bulletin boards to share information, or news, or hobbies.It was going to be a new Golden Age.Uh huh.The first time my husband and I logged on, we downloaded every Simpsons catch phrase extant at the time.Remember this?Well, its 36 years later and the internet has morphed into a Goliath or a Godzilla, depending on your point of view impacting every aspect of our lives.
Whether you use it to watch cat videos or use AI to diagnose x-rays, the Internet has irrevocably changed our lives, society and culture forever.And it all started with those silly little discs.*YOUR TURNWhat was AOL and dial ups impact on your life and on society and culture? Do you still use dial up? What other vintage tech do you still own and use?Virge Randall is Senior Planets Managing Editor.She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers and blogs about New York City life.
Send your Open Thread suggestions to [email protected].*If you live somewhere without connectivity, dont lose hope.Providers like NetZero and Juno still offer dial up if you live in areas with limited or no other internet access.
Publisher: Senior Planet ( Read More )
