For those of us who belong to the ‘Y’, or ‘Millennial’ generation, or even the most recent ‘Z’ generation, searching on the internet seems to be an aspect of general knowledge we came out of the womb with. However, for the generations which preceded our own, the internet was non-existent for some, or even most, of their adult life. Moreover, when the ‘World Wide Web’ became a term known in mainstream culture, many people who belong to the ‘Baby Boomer’ generation (born 1946-1954) or the ‘X’ generation (born 1966-1976) were already working in career jobs and felt no need to learn the basic skills required to surf the internet.
Sure, it seems ridiculous that any company would try to function without the business advantages of an online presence, but it’s important to remember that the internet didn’t become available to the general public until 1991. Baby Boomers and the X generation were somewhere between the ages of 15 and 45. This suggests that Baby Boomers, who were between 37 and 45 years old in 1991, are probably less equipped to use the internet than the X generation, who would’ve been as young as 15 or as old as 21 at the time. Baby Boomers were more likely to be in a permanent line of work with a stable routine, and not dependent on using the internet. Now that everything from shopping to finding a place to live is infinitely accessible, the possibilities are endless for even the older generations.
The ‘Y’ (born 1977-1994) and ‘Z’ (born 1995-2012) generations, on the other hand, are much more dependent on the internet than their predecessors, partially due to the fact that they already did, or are due to, come of age during a period of mainstream internet usage. As a result, using the internet comes relatively easily. The more abundant technology is, the more likely we are to be skilled in its use. We have been brought up using the internet, so it’s understandable that we may be more proficient in its use.
Regardless of what generation you belong to, however, searching on the internet is pretty basic (although we all know someone who can barely move a mouse properly, never mind clicking and typing). You open your internet browser, go to a search engine of your choosing (the most common one is Google), type in what you’re looking for, and hit ‘Enter’.
There are ways of conducting a more detailed search, of course, but those easy steps are pretty much the basics. Thus, no matter what you’re looking for, searching in this manner should be relatively easy. From hotels, to coffee shops, to home repairs, to places to buy cheap clothes, to rehab services, using a search engine means that the millions of pages on the internet are available at your fingertips. At the same time, it’s possible to find apps to help you do almost anything from scheduling your time to optimizing productivity and success at the office, so do your research and use the major push towards efficiency softwares to help your everyday life.
So what are you waiting for? Time to explore the infinite web and find the bargain of a lifetime, discover your personality, or even find relationship advice. Oh and, while you’re at it, why not find some new recipes to improve the variety of your diet? There are endless possibilities, and while there are some criticisms about relying too much on social media and spending too much time in front of a computer screen. The convenience of online browsing can save you a lot of time and money, uncover a world of knowledge you never would’ve discovered without it, or simply just satisfy your need for online gaming at the comfort of your fingertips. These days, even the older generations are getting much more familiar with the digital landscape. Enjoy the internet: in moderation.
