matt

Not only has the Internet re-shaped how the entire world works, it has shaped me as a person. 

In my early years, I would spend my time on the Internet playing games on websites like MiniClip and AddictingGames.com. These sites would serve as great time-wasters at school or while “doing” homework. Another part of the internet that I spent an immense time on was against other people in Xbox games like Halo and Call of Duty. These games became a big part of the lives of my friends and I. In fact, I enjoyed playing these games so much that I decided to start making videos of them, which brings me to another one of my favorite sites, YouTube. 

I used YouTube to watch my favorite gaming commentators and montages. I used to spend hours watching gamers like Whiteboy7thst, SeaNanners, Nadeshot, and FaZe. Gaming commentaries consisted of someone (of above-average skill) playing my favorite game while telling a story or simply discussing the game. Montages, on the other hand, were simply a combination of short clips of people performing in-game tricks or just impressive skill accompanied by cool editing and music. Nowadays, my time on the Internet is spent on Reddit, Tumblr, Instagram, and Snapchat. Reddit allows you to find communities filled with people with similar interests as you. Tumblr, like Reddit, allows you to find people with similar interests (and great memes).

I have had plenty of ups and downs on the internet. When I was young and naive I came across people who would trick me into giving them important information like account information, and even credit card information. Luckily, I was able to learn from my encounters with these people and began to have an understanding of the morals that some people have, especially on the internet. Now I can tell if something is too good to be true from miles away. 

Some other things that the internet has taught me, specifically Tumblr, is a whole new community of people who share photographs like I’ve never seen before. The aesthetic of these photos has inspired my interest in photography, and opened my eyes to the beauty in the world, even if it is not easily absorbed. For example, a lot of the photographs that I enjoy contain aesthetically-pleasing patterns or obscurely zoomed-in photos of textures found in both urban and natural environments. Tumblr has also taught me how to network myself through people with a larger following than I, and how to maintain a steady growth in interest within current followers, and those who have not yet followed my blog. The last thing that Tumblr has taught me is that if you want to be “popular” (especially on the internet) you have to create original content, rather than simply re-posting other people’s art.