I’m not necessarily technologically impaired but I’m definitely not a computer guru either. I don’t spend a lot of time on the internet but I use it almost daily. I’ve always considered myself an average user with average ability, but I’ve begun to wonder if that is true. I’m not sure what would actually be considered average use. Do I under or over use the computer?
I started thinking about this as I drove over Logan’s Pass this last weekend. The smoke from the forest fires is so bad in that area that isn’t possible to really take in the beauty of the pass. My husband and I were commenting on how close the fires must be and wondering exactly where the fires where. We had each heard different things about how many fires are currently burning in Montana and were curious to know what was true. I said that where I got home I was going to get on the internet and find out. It is second nature to me to find the answers to question via the internet.
I don’t buy cookbooks because I just print recipes off the internet. I order gifts online and shop for things we need around the house and yard. I got on line the other day to find out what type of toys are appropriate for one year olds before looking for a gift for my cousin’s baby’s birthday. When the doctor told me a I had pneumonia last year, I got on the internet to find out more about it. I once dated a guy who suffered from crones disease and, not knowing what it is, I got on the internet to find out. I had a roommate with Marfan’s and did the same thing. I check the weather on line, I read the news, I book flights and hotel rooms…..the list goes on and on.
I started to think about my what a single day use of the computer is for me. It doesn’t seem like a lot. On an average day I propabley get on the computer 2 or 3 times. I use it for school work, I check my email, I visit facebook, and I probabley average one or two other random uses of the computer per day. These might include any of the things I listed above, or looking up an address of a phone number or directions. I might be checking the price of something I am interesting in buying or I might just be reading an article that caught my eye. I might just be catching up on celebrity gossip. Whatever it is, I am using the internet everyday for several reasons.
I don’t know if this is above or below average use, but I do know that I definitely rely on the computer. I is certainly a part of my everyday life and is integrated into several other activities of my typical day. Its hard for me to imagine life before the internet and and it is amazing to think that it is a recent phenomenon. Its exciting to think about where the technology will go and what a single day user of a computer might constitute in the future. The more I learn about the internet, the more I am using and relying on its technology.
