The internet, the interconnected world-wide network of computers that includes websites, apps and devices, has become such an integral part of our lives that it is hard to imagine life without it.

Most people feel as though it has improved their lives. It has made life more convenient. Better though, is debatable. Were things better pre-internet?

We can’t, of course, put the genie back in the bottle, but let’s look at some of the things that have changed our culture.

Maps. People once used giant sheets of paper with lines that were symbolic of roads. They used these ancient artifacts to travel from one place to another. If you made a wrong turn, you could use the maps to get back on your route. Today we use devices that pinpoint our location to within a few feet, placing us in the middle of the “universe” as it routes us to our destination. We blindly followed a disembodied voice as “she” guides us to our location.

Shopping. We once had a wide range of stores that we could walk into to buy things and walk out with them. A few have survived into the modern era, but many of the ones that remain are on the endangered list. Sure, we can now shop on our computer, tablet or smart phone and buy whatever we want. A few days, or a week later the item will arrive on our doorstep. Have we really gotten so lazy that we order dog food? Shopping though is a very hands-on activity; can you really judge something from a tiny photo? An entire industry exists just to handle items returned to Amazon.

Ordering food. No, I am not using the app today to order a coffee. I prefer to talk to a person. Please quit asking me when I pull up. I am not a big fan of the QR code menus that you scan at restaurants either. Is it too hard to print a menu or do I have to stare at a screen to keep from going hungry?

Down time. People spend too much time staring at their smartphones. Social media has oddly made people less social. This is not a young person thing, it is a every person thing. People walking while staring at their phones is one of my pet peeves. Come on people, can’t you get off Facebook long enough to cross the street. The pet photos from the “friend” that you went to high school with 40 years ago can wait. So can the score of the game that ended three minutes ago.

I’ve taught classes as an adjunct at Marietta College for the last 34 years. The time before a class starts used to be a time when students actually talked to one another. They chatted with each other about their day; they would ask me about mine. Now they mainly stare at their phones in silence. I truly worry about the life people are missing out on. One of the assignments I give students is to stay offline for 24 hours. Very few are able to make it the full day.

Getting news. I have watched people slowly turn away from traditional sources to get news and information. I know I am preaching to the choir right now because if you are reading this you are reading it in a newspaper or on a newspaper’s website. Let me be clear. Facebook, and X, Tiktok and all the rest of the sites and apps out there are not news sites, they are echo chambers of like-minded people. You are not going to be presented with a wide range of ideas. You are not going to get a summary of important, but sometimes boring public meetings that you didn’t have time to attend but we did. We do so that you can know what your school system, city council or state government is trying to do.

People are turning into a very opinionated, yet uninformed public and that scares me a bit.

There is of course much good that is made possible by the internet.

The vast amount of information available is overwhelming and can be put to great use. The tools available to us already are helping people live longer, healthier and safer lives. If we can just watch a few less cat videos, perhaps we can enjoy it more.

Art Smith is online manager of The Times and News and Sentinel, he can be reached at asmith@newsandsentinel.com.