PIPA, SOPA, What's next?!?

Walking into work yesterday, I got settled and started my daily routine only to find that this was nearly impossible after I had gone to three different websites that were blocked. I immediately turned to Google to find some answers only to find that the Google logo was blocked out as well. I felt so out of the loop and I had no idea what was going on. I had completely ignored all the articles on this PIPA and SOPA that I had no idea what those acronyms even stood for. After doing some quick reading over some LinkedIn articles I soon became a little bit knowledgable as to what was going on. So to my basic understanding, if the government is able to pass these bills they will be able to basically censor any material that is posted on the Internet. Social media sites such as Pinterest, Tumblr and Reddit posted popups asking users to help prevent the passing of these bills. Tumblr even went as far as blocking out all user information on their site until users promised to call their representative and protest SOPA. Reddit, Mozilla, and Google protested by blocking out their logos. Various other sites such as Craigslist put up full screen block outs that asked users for their help in preventing the passing of these bills and ultimately the end of our freedom on the Internet.

Zuckerberg also posted a Facebook status about his opinions on the subject, within just 18 short minutes he already had 20,000 shares and 50,000 likes.

Imagine the influence he has over his followers? Crazy to think that just within seconds of him posting a status update that thousands of people have already seen it and responded. This might make me think twice about what I post on Facebook! But imagine if we were taken away that right? If we were blocked or banned from posting certain things on Facebook or if we were unable to write anything we feel like writing about in our blog postings? If you would like to be one of millions who are taking actions against these bills or help prevent them from being passed, click here!

Creativity

I needed to figure out if this 2010 Ford Escape was four-wheel drive or not this morning and without even hesitation I turned to good 'ole Google. I received the answer in less than five seconds but this would not have been the case even ten years ago. I probably would have called my dad who is a car dealer and he would have probably looked it up in a book that he had or known it off the top of his head. The Internet is great for so many things but has it made us lazy and less creative? Every time I need an answer like if Syracuse has only won one NCAA Championship or who Donald Sutherland is all I have to do is slide my finger across my iPhone and the answers are literally at my fingertips. It is hard for me to imagine life without the Internet because it has been such an integrated part of my life but even when I was just in elementary school I vaguely remember having to look things up in books and do some serious research. So has the Internet really helped us or has it caused us to expect everything to come easily? Even this picture I have on my blog I found on the Internet. If I sat for a while and thought of something I am sure I could have created something on my own but why would I do that when there is so much information out there to be had? I would do anything to go back to being five again when everything was so simple....

How has the Internet changed our lives??

This seems to be a hot topic today in my conversations! I was without internet connection today for almost an hour and I couldn't even think what else my laptop had a purpose for if I couldn't use it for the Internet? Isn't it weird to think just a few years back there was no such thing as the Internet and computers were sparse in households? Now, if you are without a computer, laptop or smart phone you are living in the dark ages! 

So this got me thinking how much this has changed our daily routines over the years. For my job, I am the director of public relations and I don't know how people did my job before the Internet was invented. Almost my entire job is based upon the use of the Internet. I use social medias almost every hour throughout the day, I am constantly e-mailing reporters and colleagues information, I use online articles to find information and I even update my blog on a daily basis! 

This is no news flash to anyone that the Internet has truly changed lives over the course of it's existence but I don't believe people know to what extent! I wonder what other jobs would be greatly affected by the use of the Internet? Whose job would suffer by the extinction of the Internet and whose job would flourish? Interesting thought!