The internet has taken major shifts since its growth in popularity. I still remember the times when I would fire up American Online on my 56k modem. I remember how many problems it caused since it disabled the landline from receiving or making phone calls. I remember the terrible noise the AOL client made while it connected. I also remember how easy it was to stay anonymous on the internet.

Back in the day it was easy to do or say anything you wanted on the internet. Sure, websites tracked cookies and IP addresses, but it was never used against you. You hid behind a screen name, a web browser, a monitor. You could fully express yourself or pursue your interests in any manner that you wanted. It was a beautiful thing, as well as dangerous. Today there’s still many dark parts of the internet, pages that cannot be sniffed out by a Google search.

Today, web site likes 4chan embrace anonymity. 4chan is a forum without any sort of account creation, and it doesn’t trace cookies or IP addresses. Posts are made anonymously and are automatically deleted after a certain time. Groups such as the infamous Anonymous were born from sites like 4chan. Anonymous has been known for doing a lot of harm and a lot of good, but the true beauty of it is the fact that a group of people anonymously gather on the internet to achieve a certain goal.

The internet has since then shifted away from such mindset. Perhaps these changes were a result of feeling anxiety while on the internet. The internet isn’t something easily explainable or described in layman terms. I would wager that most users today still do not fully understand what the internet is. Now that we’ve attached so many social aspects and faces to the internet, it probably seems more welcoming and user friendly.

Before social media sites such as Facebook, there wasn’t as many casual internet users. Those that enjoyed the use of the internet were seasoned veterans that long understood how to navigate it and use it to their advantage. With the presence of social media, the amount of internet users would see a large growth. Users that normally would have no interest in the internet now want to have access to sites like Facebook. They want to be a part of the conversation. Society has become dependent on the internet.

It’s scary how much society depends on something that most don’t fully understand. It’s become common business practice to be a part of social media and communicate with its customers. A lot of banking is done on the internet now. Websites that sell goods like Amazon.com only run on the internet. It’s amazing to witness how much the internet has become integrated to our daily lives. But it’s also horrifying to witness how much people overly share.

It started with YouTube in 2005. At first many of their uploaded videos were short but amusing ones. However, soon video blogging, or vlogging, became a trend. Faces were attached to users, and some are still major YouTube celebrities today. Instances like YouTube fame has increased a lot since then, but it’s not exactly flattering. I feel that people share too much on websites like Facebook and Twitter, and the competitiveness of resources like Klout scores has made it worse. These websites take advantages of these types of users by selling their information.

Some hiring practices even demand to see their potential employees’ Facebook profiles. The internet is actually relatively new. It’s hard to adjust laws to accommodate the internet. Therefore, hiring practices like this is not considered to be violating basic constitutional rights. It’s scary how much privacy and anonymity has become a commodity rather than an expectation.

Gaming has become important for our current culture. It’s a widely accepted hobby and has a huge presence on our media. Many celebrities are gamers and talk show hosts like Conan O’Brian include video games as part of their segment.

It’s been about 7 years since we’ve had a new set of console iterations from Sony and Microsoft. They were the two biggest players of the previous generation’s console market. It’s no surprise that the release of the PS4 and Xbox One is a big deal.

Of course, no major gaming release comes without its hitches these days. Although the PS4 has mostly met positive press, there has been reports of some units not working. Instead, a blue LED glows in the console and it never makes a connection to the television.

The Xbox One has been plagued with bad press. When it was announced, some questionable features were announced with it. Features such as a mandatory internet connection and Kinect, a camera which was always on and recorded you, received tons of backlash. Some of these features have since been removed and the console sold quite well despite the harsh beginning. Post-release, there have been reports of failing disk drives.

There’s no denying that gaming has reached a great pinnacle. The graphics are amazing and production values have reached Hollywood levels. As someone who has been gaming since childhood, I feel that quite a bit has changed.

My fondest memory of gaming was holding a Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) controller for the first time. I wasn’t told how to use it or how to play. I had to learn what button did what. Everything felt new and games were adventurous.

Today, games have started holding gamer’s hands with an overabundance of tutorials. Games also feel very similar. Many titles were sequels with rehashed game play. Even non-sequels felt like games we’ve played before. Developers and producers have been less concerned with new and adventurous products, and more with making a profit.

Quality assurance has also taken a hit. Whenever I plugged in my SNES I was confident that it would work. I didn’t have to worry about patching firmware or it turning into a brick. Developers had be extremely certain that the product they pushed worked and wouldn’t malfunction.

I’m very proud of where gaming has went. It’s jumped leaps and bounds above my expectations. With every generation I always feel like there’s no room for improvement, but I have been happily surprised every time. It’s just a little sad that part of gaming has taken a step backwards, or in some cases no step at all.

The Walking Dead TV series is currently airing its fourth season with much anticipation. At first I didn’t really buy into the hype despite seeing a great trailer for it a few years ago. It took me a while to start the first season, and I became instantly hooked. There’s a lot of things that make it more than your average zombie show, and a lot of things that make it ridiculous.

Most fans would tell you that The Walking Dead (TWD) is a great show because it focuses on the characters of the show and not the zombies (walkers). This is very true, and a very common theme is that the walkers in TWD are a constant threat. They are out to eat flesh and that never changes. It creates an interesting parallel, because while the walkers are predictable, humans are not. In the world of TWD, your biggest threat or asset will be another human.

A great thing about the show is also how much the show emotionally invests in its characters. At any moment, any character may die. It could be a minor character that stars in one episode, or a character we’ve been with for a couple of seasons. Many of them have a back story, a start, and a finish. It’s an amazing tool to get us to empathize with many of the characters, even the villains.

Many of the main characters that we’ve followed from early on have gone through great changes. We see certain characters become warmer and much more loyal, while others become cold and distant. On the most recent episode, a recurring theme showed just how much the ensemble have changed. Many of the characters faced something they could not control, and were forced to accept things as they are. It’s very hard to tune in knowing that such great characters could die at any given moment. It’s a show where it’s most exciting when the characters that fans love are in danger.

While there is much reason for praise when it comes to TWD, it also requires us to suspend our disbelief quite a bit. Most of the plot (especially seasons 1-3) is driven by silly mistakes or plain stupidity. Certain situations could have been prevented if certain decisions were made properly, but instead we watch chaos unfold because of plain silliness. It’s a recurring plot device in TWD, but I can’t necessarily blame the show writers. If the characters aren’t in danger, it’s not as fun to watch.

Another issue is the lack of consistency with real life. It’s been established that the walkers are walking corpses. In reality, it’s quite easy to avoid a corpse driven apocalypse. They’re unable to think, slow, and predictable. As much as the show tries to make the characters feel helpless, sometimes I wonder where the vultures or other scavenging animals are to clean up the zombie mess. TWD seems to follow its own set of rules that the viewer must accept in order to enjoy the show.

Overall I really like TWD. It’s entertaining and the dialogue exchange between characters is fantastic. Its world is very different and lonely, and the sense of dread helps us suspend our disbelief long enough to fall in love.

I ventured to the Javits Center the other day to experience Comic Con New York. It was quite an experience to behold, and I have much to say about it. But first, I would like to retrospect on how technology has made an impact in some of our pop culture.

Almost a decade ago, I remember being labeled a “nerd” for spending a huge part of my daily life on things like video games, cartoons/animations, and comic books. While I was never heavily invested in the latter, it was still enough to be called a nerd. By definition, a nerd is a boring or unpopular person. It has become a big part of our language, and usually refers to people who love video games, cartoons, and comic books. The difference is, when I was called that ten years prior, it was an insult.

These days, being a nerd is cool. No longer do I feel the need to hide the fact that I love Iron Man, or love spending the better part of my time on video games. Triple A video games and Hollywood productions based on comics and games have become huge successes. The Dark Knight trilogy is widely considered one of the best trilogies of all time. Wreck-it-Ralph paid tribute to retro gaming, and was also a great success.

Nerds have always been known to embrace technology, and those who develop such technology are often labeled nerds. Today, many people are glued to technology like smart phones and tablets. Everything has become easier due to such inventions, and as such a huge part of nerd culture has become widely embraced.

My experience at Comic Con (CC) left me with some mixed feelings. One thing that stood out the most was the large amount of fellow CC enthusiasts dressing up as characters from a number of different shows, games, and comics. From Batman to Deadpool, a lot of costumes were hit or miss. Some costumes had a strong resemblance to the original characters, while others just seemed out of place and off-putting.

Something I noticed right away about CC is how much of it is being sold to you. I had to pay for a pass to get in, and it felt like I paid my way into a shopping center. CC was filled with collectibles that I did not purchase. I could live without them. Stands full of merchandise was everywhere, and much to my surprise many lined up to buy overpriced items. It really seemed to sucker in the hardcore crowd at CC, and I was disappointed to see them eat it up and leave with empty wallets.

CC was a haven for nerds alike. People dressed up in whacky costumes and they were excited to take pictures of each other. It was like Halloween for nerds. Although I love that being a nerd is embraced in CC, I was appalled to realize that this meant that a certain type of nerd would be rampant in CC. This type of nerd is not hygienic or conscious of the foul odor he/she is emitting. I passed by a few stinky Batman’s and other characters while in CC which wasn’t very pleasant.

Overall I enjoyed my time at CC. It was new and different. My biggest complaint was that since being a nerd has become so mainstream, CC was very overcrowded. The lines for Q & A panels were longer than expected, and it was extremely hard to get around. However, watching four pretty Cat Woman’s taking a picture together made up for the whole ordeal.

Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) was released a few days ago. It’s a game that has received as much praise as criticism. The rise in popularity of gaming was actually very recent. A decade ago, games like GTA V would not have garnered as much attention. Video games are now considered mainstream works of art. Triple A titles such as GTA V even require budgets only seen for expensive Hollywood films. Why is it so great that mediums like video games have become popular?

Unlike films, video games are experienced in a different manner. These days, both have characters and a plot, but films will always be the same experience; the way the director intended it to. Video games, however, offer unique experiences despite having fixed plots (sometimes this is untrue and the plot may take different turns). They are an interactive experience, and in one play through I could take a course of action that you may not have taken. We are now offered different choices. Today, we are offered many choices in video games. We expect to have choices.

Of course, with higher production values, games will become of higher quality. Gaming is something that can evolve, and we expect it to do so. In fact, the internet has allowed gaming to evolve to another level that many felt was unimaginable before its conception. Before the internet, gamers would have to literally judge a game by its cover. We did not know what games were good or bad until we either tried them ourselves, or heard some input from our friends. The internet and social media has brought upon an age of information. Now gamers can research about the games they are interested in before they buy them. Word of mouth has a new meaning. We don’t just hear about games from friends anymore, we hear about it from the internet.

Video games are a medium that allow us to experience something together. They can be cooperative experiences, or competitive experiences. They’re accessible, and offered on many platforms including your phone. You can play with the person sitting next to you, or someone from across the planet. It’s quite a spectacle to see how fast gaming has grown thanks to the internet.

Video games are now a big part of our lives, just like films and novels. A decade ago, we had to hide the fact that we gamed. Today, it’s cool. It’s good to be a gamer today.