10 Ways The Internet Changed My Life

I feel quite lucky in that I'm part of that unique generation who grew up without the internet. It became a 'thing' introduced into my daily life at around maybe 12, 13? And sure it took off like wildfire and only got more and more prominent in our lives, but I still experienced a big important chunk of my life without it; which I'm grateful for.
Saying that though, there is no way I'd want to live without it now, I'm 100% an addict. And quite rightly so, it's brought me the best and most amazing parts of my life. Let's see what made my top ten ways the internet changed my life (for the better)...

1. Blogging. Duh! Might as well get this one out the way now. Where would I be without blogging? Writing pointless shit in my diary with a crappy lock and key that didn't even work, that's where. Nobody else to bounce ideas off, no other bloggers to read and feel inspired by, no way of sharing our lives and experiences across the world instantly. I've spoken before about how blogging has changed my life (here) and all that is thanks to good old internet.
2. Career. The internet changed the working world for everyone, whether that be good or bad. Some great positives for myself now mean we can search for jobs online and apply instantly, we can search tips for CV's/job interviews/etc easily, and for a number of us our job is now the internet. As many of you know already, I work part time in retail and I'm lucky enough to only have to work one or two days a week. That's because the rest of the time I do social media management for a number of small businesses, and I'm constantly trying to grow this as a business (more on this soon). So this actually makes up a huge part of my working life now, living on the internet for people who hire me to do so. They understand the importance of it, and it's now a hugely demanding field.
3. Dating. How did people even do dating before the internet? I mean, I was a teenager when they internet came into everyday life, so I can't really say much about that. I found boyfriends through mutual friends, school, etc. But I imagine the internet has helped immensely when it comes to dating. It's less scary to start chatting online than in a bar, that's for sure, and you can do a quick internet search on the person to check nothing weird pops up. Sure, there are some definite drawbacks (I'm looking at you, weird Tinder guy just out to get laid), but overall it's pretty nifty. Did you guys know that Gary and I met because of Tumblr? We followed each other for a long time, randomly got chatting, and over the course of about 4 months began to fall for each other. We met finally, and everything just clicked. I know I'm one of the lucky ones here!
4. Friendship. One of my closest friends is someone I first knew from following them on Myspace. Yes, MYSPACE. I'm old school kids. We didn't intend to even meet to be honest, we just had friends in common, turned up at the same gigs and even got a job at the same store once! Friendship bloomed, it was weird and hilarious. Ever since then, I've intentionally and unintentionally made plenty of online friends that have turned into real in person relationships. Just look at blogging- we're constantly going to events and making new friends, which is amazing. Thanks internet, you make me feel super popular.
5. Entertainment. Who else has had to go without the internet for a horrible amount of time (a week, a day, an hour?!) only to realise you've no idea what you would do for entertainment without it. I do think we should all make time away from the screens, but it's pretty rough going when the internet is snatched away from you without warning. What do we do without Netflix and Twitter?!
6. Food. Yes, food. Remember the old days when you'd have to phone up somewhere if you wanted takeout? This practically gives me a panic attack at the mere thought of it. I hate talking on the phone. So thanks internet, you've made my life easier. A few clicks, and my perfect pizza is on it's way to me within the hour. 
7. Shopping. On a serious note, shopping in really busy places (oh Primark..) is one of the biggers triggers for my anxiety to rear its ugly head. I can get frantic, hot and bothered, annoying, scared and short of breath within moments of walking into stores like this. Hello online shopping from the comfort of my own bed. This also means I can read reviews and get opinions from others before buying shoes I'll never wear again. Also, if you're a kawaii girl like me; hello cheap products from Hong Kong/China! Give me all of the cute things please.
8. Experiences/Cultures. As much as I dream of travelling the world, it's probably not going to happen. I'll hopefully visit a lot of the places I dream of, but thanks to the internet I can at least visit them online. I can watch people climb mountains, I can learn how different cultures interact, and I can talk to people from all over the world. Think about that for a second... Wow.
9. Confidence. Anything that causes you insecurity can easily be googled, and you'll instantly be drowning in tips on how to make it easier, more manageable, and learning to love yourself. The combination of having a big group of online friends to chat to and who support me, and having a place to share my thoughts fills me with confidence. Blogging has doubled my confidence in the past 17 months, yay!
10. Learning. Think of anything you want to know, want to learn about, and you instantly can! That is some powerful shit. I mean, I'm totally wasting this opportunity to learn all about elephants or reading some of the most world changing moments in history, by sitting on Twitter instead. But still... it's pretty cool I have the option to!
Okay I basically love the internet. What are you most thankful for?

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