I can still remember the first time I got to know the virtual phenomenon we call the internet. It was at the library in my old elementary school, and the librarian showed us a computer (the only one we could use) which was connected to the world wide web. To be honest, I had no clue what was going on, and definitely did not realize yet to what extent this invention would change the world.

Nowadays, it seems like nobody is able to live in an internet-free world. Handwritten letters have been replaced by electronic mails, millions of books and articles can be found in digital databases instead of having to search through a library and a replacement for going into town to do some shopping is ordering it online and having it delivered right in front of our doorstep. The speed in which we live our lives has changed dramatically and it seems we have become somewhat obsessed by it – just a day without access to internet is enough for a person to become increasingly agitated. It seems the whole world has become addicted and some time without would mean very strong withdrawal symptoms.

This extreme dependence, also by companies worldwide who do all their day-to-day business online, might have a downside to it, since what would happen if for some reason internet stopped working? The collapse of our digital world would probably mean total chaos in our ‘real’ world as well. I think everyone would agree that the recent technological developments mean a permanent change in the world, and we will never be able to go back to our internet-free life.

Not only internet has made its impact on our current situation; other technological devices keep on developing themselves in an astonishing speed. If you consider that most people started using mobile phones approximately a decade ago, it is amazing to consider the difference between the first Nokia 3310 and what these devices are capable of now. A mobile phone is not just a phone to call and text with – cameras, video cameras, mp3 players, internet and even TV all come along in the package. It would not surprise me if sometime soon, within a decade even, we would just make use of one single device which we would use for all these purposes, instead of buying cameras and phones separately.

All in all, the increasing speed with which new technological advances are booked are at the least to say impressing, and makes me wonder what the world has in store for us in the nearby future.