Internet Thoughts

by Jared J. Estes

It's amazing what the Internet has become.  When the government was creating this vast network system in the 1960s, they surely didn't think it would look like this in 2017 and, obviously, they failed to forecast that spyware would wreak its beautiful havoc upon the world (that's why it works so great, right?).  The Internet itself is now the ultimate hack, overloaded with meaningless garbage.

I remember quite clearly when I was in my youth in the late nineties, powering up the broadband AOL that would set my friend Brandon and me free!  All of the philosophies, images, and ideas that were "supposed" to be off-limits to me were now available at my convenience, thanks to the Internet.  As I grew into my teenage years, the Internet became more accessible and my expectations heightened.  The entire world was there at the touch of my fingertips.  Everything I could never afford!  Want a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook?  Have no money?  Never fear, the Internet is here!

It appeared to me that the Internet was the place of weirdos and outcasts.  A haven for society's rejects (myself included).  A place where the Mutual UFO Network and The Lone Gunmen originated.  A lot different than it looks today!  Now, the weirdos are those that have never been on the Internet!

Eventually, I suppose, everything becomes commercialized, as did punk rock and metal music, Pokémon, ripped jeans, goth, whatever.  I'm trying to avoid sounding overprotective, but it feels like the Internet has been violated.  Or maybe it just sold out.  Or maybe it's doing exactly what the government planned for it to do after all.  Either way, I feel like the Internet belongs to those weirdos and outcasts of the nineties who didn't quite fit.

All of that great, free information is still there, though (for now).  All you have to do is heap through the endless pile of garbage and convince yourself not to spend over 50 percent of your Internet time on social media.

Yet, any day now, the Internet could change.  The government and large corporations are definitely interested in regulating it and reaping the massive financial gains that regulating it would entail.  It is up to us - the folks who want it free, who expect it to be free, that is - to continue to fight the powers that be (as always).

On the other hand, I am not worried at all.  When the government was creating the Internet, as I mentioned previously, I'm sure in their minds they didn't think there was any way the Internet could be hacked.  As we all know, that's not the case.  Don't you love viruses, malware, spyware and spam!?  I do!  Spam is my assurance that no matter what happens to the Internet - or its future incarnation - there will be hackers with The Hacker Quarterly in tow, ready to attack its accredited safeguards.

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