Over the last 10-15 years we have seen an exponential advance in technology, which is only set to rise further with the introduction of driverless cars and robotic systems in our homes.
I got my first mobile phone when I was 13. It was a Nokia 3210 and I was overjoyed. I could text or call my friends, and play Snake. Fast forward 15 years and our phones take us into a whole new world. We now have a wealth of information at our finger tips which would have taken our parents at our age perhaps hours to find out. With no online search facilities and certainly no Google, a library book or asking somebody would have been their best options.
Now we apply for jobs online, share photos with relatives in Australia, book flights, upload pictures of our birthday and search for long-lost friends. In just over a decade our options have become limitless and the opportunities for sharing our lives now endless.
Of course, with these advancements comes trouble, worry and opportunity. There is always a news bulletin that says we are sharing too much online, that we are opening ourselves up unwittingly to scams and cons on a daily basis. It seems that actually, you can’t trust anyone. And while it now states that 1 in 3 marriages start online, the internet remains fraught with people who are not quite as they seem.
The internet, although marvellous in its entirety with endless opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurialism, has become obscured by danger and deceit. It is our future, for many their livelihoods, and while there are many safety procedures in place, can we really ever be safe? Do we share too much? Rely on it too much? I’m just as bad as the next person, but it’s only when you sit and consider what your children will soon be using and what will become the norm for them, that suddenly this incredible and far reaching World Wide Web seems a little daunting for those so young.