Internet of the past has taught patience

It's no secret, even to freshmen by now, that the internet on campus is often bogged down.  However, we do need to take a step back and look at what we've become used to.  

Not too long ago, perhaps a decade, at best, the internet was accessed mostly by dial-up connections.  I had dial-up well through middle school and only in high school did I get introduced to high-speed internet.  Before that, I overlooked the speed aspect as trivial because I could still access information.  

However, once YouTube and internet games began making a rise, it was immediately apparent that I was being left behind in technology.  At school, I could watch videos instantly, as well as play the games that weren't blocked.  At home, I would have to pull up multiple things that I needed, then go to dinner or do something until they loaded completely.  This instantly became frustrating once I had experienced using internet that was consistently faster and more reliable.

However, there is a silver lining out of all this because not everyone has had the opportunity to experience this.  I know what slow internet is, and as such, I'm less bothered by various speed issues around campus.  Having instantaneous access to an infinite source of information has become easier, faster and more convenient on every level.  Even if it takes longer than ten seconds to load, it is exponentially more impressive timing than it could be.

This feeling of instant gratification has slowly become society's bearing.  Everything is geared to be faster, cheaper or more convenient, often enhancing laziness.  Internet speed has become something we take for granted alongside the idea of On-Demand movies, fast food restaurants, credit cards and online stores. When these services bog down, we frequently become frustrated with the delay, despite it being relatively inconsequential for the outcome of our day.  I have become that way recently, despite knowing what I do about the progress we've made.  It then dawns on me that it's incredibly fruitless to be so frustrated over something like this.  

We can praise the services we have when they work how we want them to, but the second they don't, we criticize them relentlessly.

Technology doubles every two years, and as such, even those that are entering school right now have access to much more than we did at their age.  Our parents didn't have internet, we had dial-up to begin with and have experienced a crossover into high speeds.  Each generation will have different values based on what has become available or what they utilize every day.  Frankly, I feel that we were lucky enough to be able to experience both worlds, and to know both sides of the spectrum.  Not everything was instant when we were growing up, which meant that everything wasn't easily available or convenient.  The generation below us has access to everything that we do, and at a much earlier age.  The things we have seen develop, have been "guinea pigs" for and are currently helping design will all be something that they get to use as an integrated part of society.  

Working at the Grove City Outlets, I have seen some children that are still in strollers who are able to play games on smart phones and tablets.  This is all evidence that we are truly moving toward Marshall McLuhan's idea of a global village, with more diversity than ever beginning to connect at a moment's notice.  In this exponential progressive movement, let's try to remember where it all came from and that we have had a chance to learn patience through everyday lessons.