It’s a sign of how far humanity has progressed that so many of us are dissatisfied with our internet speed. Go back to 1996, for example, and talk to the people about your frustrations with slow connections.
“So, you’ve got this little rectangle you hold in your hand. You can use it to learn languages as you drive to work?”
“Yes. Yes, I have.”
“And what’s the problem again?”
“Sometimes it takes a while to load live footage of sporting events”.
And yet, of course we do get frustrated because we’re used to this all being at our fingertips. The above imagined conversation makes us look unreasonable, but we’ve seen and lived in the future. And when it’s snatched back from us by poor service we’re liable to feel a little bit bummed out by it. Those people in 1996 would be too. They got annoyed when heavy snow blocked out their satellite signal, so 1976 people would sneer at them. It’s fine.
We’re more than entitled to expect a certain level of service. We have paid for a certain level, and the developments are there. By the time 2036 comes around, we’ll be stunned by what’s on offer then. But you can bet that we’ll complain if we try to download dinner and it arrives overcooked.
Part of the problem is that we have options available to us on the internet that require a certain strength or speed of connection. Because we all have the internet, we can all access these options, but some of them won’t run well on our devices. They have been designed to run on something with higher specifications. So sometimes we need to update our equipment.
For example, if we have a cable internet service, we are liable to find we have speed problems with some of the more up-to-date services. They are designed for, and come into their own with, fiber broadband. So if you currently have a cable service, it’s worth looking for more information about FiOS internet. You may pay out a little more, but you’ll benefit from the increased speed.
Of course, with technology developing at the speed it is, you might find that the net big thing is just around the corner anyway. You could always wait for that. But if what you want is an upgrade right now, then there are options available. You can always upgrade them again in a year or two when the next big thing is here.
It is easy to feel that we are spoiled, as the person in 1996 would look at us now. But when we know there is more and better out there, it makes sense to not be happy with second best. We’re living in the digital age, it only makes sense to make the most of it.
I remember dial-up and laugh because things are so fast now. I also remember that you had a certain number of hours per month. I recently got a smart phone. It's amazing. What I'm really waiting for are self-driving cars because I'm disabled. That would be beyond wonderful because I really miss my family. I don't really have tips but I've heard that M&Ms work as rewards. kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.