Just as the article about the great and positive influence of public libraries was inspired by quotations from Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, this article was inspired by something that the writer Sylvia Engdahl says in her online autobiography, which can be found here.
Where Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman both paid tribute to public libraries, Sylvia Engdahl mentions the great and positive difference that computers and the Internet have made to her life.
I have covered the debt that I owe to public libraries; now it is time to do the same for some other major positive influences in my life. I have a tribute of my own to pay to computers and the Internet.
From Sylvia Engdahl's inspiring autobiography:
“...I still have my desktop computer, with which I spent most of my time anyway, and my laptop, which I use when lying down. And I still have access to the Internet. So I’m in as close touch with the world as I ever was. That is the miracle of computer technology—no one today need be isolated, regardless of physical disability. Computers have been my salvation from youth, when by chance I was hired as a programmer, until old age, when without them my productive life would end.”
Just like Sylvia Engdahl, I was once a programmer by profession.
I too have always thought of this as my salvation: I still hate to think of what might have become of me if I hadn't managed 'by chance' to get into the world of IT. Programming gave me the opportunity to do some of the things that I do best; it improved my mental abilities and gave me some transferable skills; it gave me more self-respect, a decent income and a home of my own.
There is more to say about this, but for now I want to concentrate on what computers and the Internet can do for people who are housebound for whatever reason. I have had first-hand experience of this because of the restrictions caused by COVID-19.
On March 23rd 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson proclaimed that all non-essential travel, outside activities and contact with others must stop. People were told to stay at home as much as possible and go out only for exercise and to buy food. Most shops and offices closed; London, where I live, became a ghost town.
I was not too badly affected by being housebound because of the strict lockdown: I am happy to spend a lot of time by myself, there was plenty to read, and I had already been cutting down the time I spent outside after getting fast, unrestricted Wi-Fi Internet at home a few years earlier.
This upgrade meant that for the first time ever I was able to browse as much as I wanted: previously I had to be careful not to use up my small prepaid mobile broadband allowances too quickly. After moving to Wi-Fi, I found so much material of interest online that it was difficult to tear myself away from my laptop. This caused some inner conflicts.
The arrival of COVID-19 actually made things easier for me: from Day 1 of the complete lockdown, I could stay online for hours without feeling guilty or that there were other things that I should be doing. I felt that I had a licence to investigate anything and everything that came to mind. It was my big chance!
When I first got fast, unlimited access to the Internet at home, I was overwhelmed and spoilt for choice; I had had no idea that there was so much good stuff out there. 'Random, impulse-driven gorging' best describes my approach at this time!
I became much more systematic after the lockdown started. I organised my online activities into categories such as keeping in touch with people, keeping up with the news from the outside world, virtual travelling, collecting information and entertainment. I spent some time on each class of activity each day.
I kept in touch with people via Email and online forums: I enjoyed exchanging experiences of life under the lockdown and passing on links to good things that I found online.
I monitored key developments in the COVID crisis. Online editions of newspapers were very useful for this.
Webcams and videos enabled me to visit some familiar and some new places. One highlight was taking a stroll along the seafront of the Sussex town where I lived as a child. I like to explore London from the top of a bus, in the front seat if I can get it, and I was delighted to find that some kind person had filmed the entire journey from the same position on an unfamiliar bus route that I had been thinking of taking.
Google Maps Street View showed me buildings where I used to work, houses where I used to live, parks I like to visit and much more.
All this may be one-dimensional and second rate at best, but it is much better than nothing and has the advantage of using much less time, energy and money than real-life travelling and sightseeing would.
I was able to travel back in time too: I discovered many fascinating old images and films of London and records of shops, places and products that I remembered, many of which no longer exist.
There are many forum threads about childhood memories; as might be expected, the cheap sweets and comics that we used to buy with our pocket money are a major topic for discussion. I found pictures of the old children's playground in that seaside town and read tributes from people who also played there and were sad that it had gone.
Thanks to YouTube, I was able to listen to theme tunes and extracts from old classic BBC radio programmes that I remembered from my earliest years.
I was overwhelmed with nostalgia for the past; balancing old memories with new information was a good way to deal with this.
I did vast amounts of research for articles for this blog and other projects. From time to time I switched to entertainment to give myself a break from concentrating very hard on collecting information.
I could hardly believe my luck when I found a large number of my favourite old TV programmes online. I watched each episode of each series of Red Dwarf in sequence and did the same for several other good series that I remembered.
As for online music, I used some of it as a background while I was researching various topics. I played many of the Liverpool Spinners' songs, including their Leaving of Liverpool or Liverpool Farewell and Asikatali, which was featured in an article about coincidences and synchronicity. I also became addicted to what I consider to be the best versions of my favourite beautiful national anthems.
Being able to watch and listen to whatever I wanted whenever I wanted was a luxury that I very much appreciated. The main problem I had was trying to decide how much time to spend on old favourites and how much on looking for and enjoying new YouTube videos.
I could have certainly passed the time I was housebound quite well with just books and my radio and television, but computers and the Internet were there so I made full use of them.
I do know that some people believe that the Internet is one of the worst things ever to have happened to the human race, and it can certainly do a lot of damage when used irresponsibly and for evil purposes; I do realise that extroverts, very active and energetic people and those who much prefer people to ideas and information may need far more from life than what computers and the Internet have to offer, but they can be lifelines for some of us.
I was thinking a while back that I am unlikely to leave the UK ever again. I am not very sad about this: I have my memories, there are many interesting places to visit here and I can still travel via the Internet. I got to thinking that these factors would still apply even if for some reason I never left London again.
This can be taken even further: I know from my recent experience of being housebound that if the time ever comes when once again I am unable to get out much, I will not feel too isolated and deprived so long as I still have all the online resources to explore and enjoy.
I am very grateful for all that computers and the Internet have done for me, and I feel privileged to be part of the Internet Age.
I will leave the last words to Sylvia Engdahl:
“...sitting at my computer, I come alive! I will never tire of the various pursuits it makes possible for me.”
The IT Crowd is one of the many TV series that can be found online. The scene where Moss tells Jen that a small, empty metal box with a light on top is the Internet is very funny:
