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.