There are many different ways in which I use various technologies now as opposed to when I was first starting high school. For instance I now have a cell phone and a car, and I am more aware of some of the things that I can use the internet for.
Although I cannot think of many technological advances within the internet itself in the last five years, there are some new technologies that I use, that use the internet. The two main ones that I personally use are GPS (within my car and my cell phone) and my iPod. Both of these I would consider to be things that have changed my life for the better. GPS because I have a terrible sense of direction (often getting lost in my own city) and my iPod because I get bored very easily unless there is something to attract my attention and one CD is often not enough on long trips.
As previously stated, I have also become aware of new ways that I can use the actual internet. Before, in high school, I generally used the internet for research purposes only. Occasionally, I would chat online but the internet was not a very large part of my life as I would much rather be outside or reading books. I have since discovered a not-so marvelous thing called fanfiction. This is one way in which the internet has changed my life for the worse. Because there is such a wide variety of new stories to read, with more being added everyday, I often find myself staying inside to stare at my computer screen. I no longer have to buy or check-out books in order to read fascinating stories. I have actually become addicted to reading fanfiction. It has got to the point that I will find myself reading instead of doing things that really need to get done (such as homework), causing me to procrastinate and have to pull more all-nighters than I should have. I am not addicted to Facebook or E-bay, merely reading, which could be considered good or bad, but there is one thing I know: I would have a lot more time if I never discovered just how much there was to be read online.
Signing off,
Alyssa Potok
