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The Internet Just Replaced A Lot Of Things, Like Cookbooks

We are being deprived of what we’ll realize later.

By Shalin ThomasPublished 2 years ago 6 min read
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The Internet Just Replaced A Lot Of Things, Like Cookbooks
Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

I was browsing through the recipe book section at Chapters when a budget-friendly cookbook caught my eye.

It pleased my senses with its colourful cover, smooth and well-illustrated pages, vast content, and the “new book” smell that came from the inside.

I was really tempted to buy it since it would really help me as a salaried worker, trying to save money and time on cooking, while also trying to eat healthy home-cooked meals.

The book was priced at around $40.

I was having second thoughts while holding the book at eye-level, staring at the picture of a noodle bowl on its cover.

“What if I could save 40 bucks if I just look up budget recipes online?”

I pulled out my iPhone and typed “budget-friendly healthy recipes” on Google.

I went through the results. All those recipes looked incredibly amazing.

Yet, something else was lacking!

Once again, I picked up the cookbook and ran through the pages.

The pages seem to contain a certain kind of warmth; the one that you would not find in an e-book!

It thrilled my senses with all of its sights and smell…

Even though a soft bound book isn’t as lit up like your e-reader or iPad, the reading experience imparts you a certain sense of joy.

This unexplainable feeling derives from flipping the pages as you read, those little “dog-ear folds” you make at the corner of the page which serve as bookmarks, and the subtle elevation of printed letters you feel on the tip of your fingers as you move them past the lines.

As a result, I was convinced to buy the cookbook!

Internet: The societal conqueror

I remember reading the daily newspaper as a teen, from the very moment it got delivered to my doorstep.

Back in those days, I never had consistent access to the internet.

Therefore, the newspaper was the only means by which I became aware of what was happening outside of my home.

As curious as I was about the outside world, I do recall some fond memories of flipping through the pages of newspapers, sometimes even memorizing certain headlines.

From current affairs, sports, and my favourite editor’s column, I used to skim through them all…

They have helped me widen my knowledge horizons, helped me in my tests, while the countless crosswords I’ve filled out helped broaden my vocabulary!

When I’ve started to live alone, the online news replaced my memories of reading the newspaper early in the morning, over a cup of hot coffee.

The vibes from those days are completely absent in my life today.

Not only cookbooks and newspapers, the internet has permeated into the workings of the society, and has replaced many things we would fondly recall from the past.

Be it gossipy magazines or the local supermarket flyer, all of them are now available online!

The past is in the past…

By Eric Nopanen on Unsplash

Back in my school days, the only electronic gadgets I’ve owned was a Nokia phone and a cheap Walkman.

Whenever I was bored or doing chores around the house, I used to listen to music on my phone’s radio or the Walkman.

I’ve never really owned a physical radio but even the stations in those were available on my phone’s radio application.

I memorized many songs which I heard on the radio, and sometimes on one of the tv channels which had an evening music play session where you can request popular songs which they’ll broadcast for you.

I remember being the sort-of-cool kid in class, having memorized the lyrics of newly-released hits.

However, now I listen to music on Spotify or YouTube, where I can easily choose the song I feel like listening.

The feeling of eagerly waiting for your favourite song to come up on the radio has been replaced with convenience. It is no longer exciting, rather it has turned into a routine to listen to my curated playlist while doing chores!

Along with that, I no longer watch cable tv; all of it has been replaced by Netflix.

No more CDs, I rent the latest movies online.

I also think I’ve lost my ability to mentally compute, as I don’t need to calculate the balance after paying in cash. Thanks to Google Pay!

I no longer save up my pocket money to buy fashion magazines. A quick scroll through the Instagram feed updates me with all the latest trends.

Our generation will never experience what it is like to operate a typewriter. We have our laptop keyboards.

Being old-school, I bought a typewriter keyboard which has raised keys, elevated and tiled base, and typewriter sound effect with the press of keys.

But no, it will never be as sophisticated and aesthetic as the good old typewriter!

Similarly, the fax has also bid goodbye.

What I wish the internet didn’t steal from me

By Olga Vilkha on Unsplash

My parents used to write letters to me in those times when they used to work abroad.

I used to write to my grandparents when I accompanied my parents, to which they replied by writing back.

As I grew older, I wrote letters to my friends to keep in touch.

We also sent each other greeting cards with cute teddy bear prints, with our wishes handwritten in elegant cursive letters using fountain pens.

Today when I ponder over the stack of old letters and greeting cards, they bring back memories from the past.

Those handwritten letters still hold the warmth and affection of my loved ones!

Reading the letters from my late grandfather and long-gone childhood friends still impart the fond memories of my early years, and I feel their presence and touch in my vicinity.

These days I wake up and check my emails every morning, and it is just another notification, or a message from my workplace.

I suddenly feel rushed, as they are there to remind me of the hustle of my adulthood.

Not only do emails not impart the feelings of endearment and comfort, their tone is that of the soulless internet age, which I sadly have to survive.

In addition, I miss the very feeling of fulfilment I get when I skim through the pages of the New Oxford American Dictionary (NOAD), and the Encyclopedia Britannica I owned during my high school days.

They were the best friends of my schooldays, helping me ace the spelling bee and several knowledge quizzes.

Today I look up information online, but it is limited to only what I want to know at that instant.

As a result, it curbs the possibility to expand my vocabulary and general knowledge.

Is it good or bad?

Well, I wouldn’t agree to either one.

Though I have to admit that the advent of the internet, and its large scale implementation in the modern world, have made life much easier.

The thing with internet is that it priorities convenience over anything else.

That’s what science basically does. It doesn’t care if it is good or bad. It just makes the process easier.

Ultimately, it is up to our conscience to decide our actions.

Leaving that topic aside, I will conclude that the internet did steal some things that will no longer come back to us, but it has made our busy modern lives much more easier.

It made us waste time pondering over our emotions and venting our excitement over the gadgets.

It has rather succeeded in reminded us to go along with the flow in the hustle culture, to not be swayed by pointless feelings.

Brushing my thoughts aside, I carefully put back my stack of letters into the box.

I am treasuring something that will cease to exist in the coming years. Something that my future generations will never experience!

ChildhoodFamilyFriendshipHumanityTeenage yearsWorkplaceSchool
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