TORONTO – In lieu of Encyclopaedia Britannica’s Wednesday announcement that it would be ending its print edition, Global News looks at 10 things the Internet has effectively killed, or is in the process of slowly murdering.
Encyclopedias
The book-form of Encyclopaedia Britannica has been in print since 1768, but will stop being available when the current stock runs out. Digital versions of the encyclopedia will still be offered. Is it a bad sign that we’ll no longer have the heavy books to consult? Look on the bright side, now you’ll have extra room on your bookshelf for more books…err…iPads.
The 9 to 5 work day & lunch-breaks
What was it like to be able to say “I’ll have to get back to you tomorrow, my information is at the office”? That’s something today’s workforce of laptop, iPhone and BlackBerry owners will probably never know. Emails are sent around the clock and employees are expected to be “online” and available 24/7 thanks to our friend, the Internet.
Blockbuster & other video rental stores
In September 2011, Blockbuster Canada closed its remaining 253 stores, unable to find a buyer. The demise of the video rental store came as movie downloading, video-on-demand services and Netflix accounts continue to rise. It’s unknown if the remaining 15 Jumbo Video stores across Canada still offer free popcorn while you browse movie titles . . .
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Listening to entire music albums
When was the last time you bought an entire album? File-sharing, downloading or selecting individual tracks to purchase from Apple iTunes has become the norm for listeners, as the music industry has well learned.
Fantasies about your ex
Years after your month-long romance with a high school sweetheart, you used to be able to imagine a man or woman whose beauty and youth never faded. Maybe one day you’d just bump into them and rekindle the old flame. Not anymore, since the Internet and Facebook came along. Now you can see their profiles for proof of how old and haggard they’ve become, and fantasies quickly turn to nightmares.
Legitimate celebrity status
Celebrities used to be people who earned fame with some kind of talent, money, or at least good looks. Now any yahoo with a webcam can become famous via YouTube and the American talk show hosts will come calling, after their sub-par lip-synching skills or science fiction reenactments go viral.
Memory
What’s the capital of Newfoundland? Your dad’s office number? Directions from your house to your cousin’s place? Information you once learned in school, from experience, or everyday things that should probably be easy to retain, are now lost somewhere along the way. When all it takes is five seconds to “Google it,” why bother wasting that precious brain space when you can be thinking of how to earn celebrity status on the Internet?
The telephone book
While these relics enjoyed fame in various ‘80s movies when the bad guy looks up the name and address of his next target, they’re now a thing of the past. Google, Canada411 and your smartphone’s long “contact list” have rendered the giant books almost obsolete.
Pen pals
Not too many years ago, going off to camp meant starting a pen pal correspondence with all your best friends. After all, they’d need to be filled in on the many details of your life from (gasp) two hours away. Now with email, texts, Skype and the like, who has time to actually write out their thoughts? Related: can people still spell without Spell Check?
Embarrassment from buying porn
Is it nostalgia that has commercials still depicting the scene of a young man sheepishly buying dirty magazines from a convenience store? The Internet has made porn so easily accessible, that things like effort and proof of age are no longer necessary. Why worry about someone catching you with smutty magazines in hand when you can peruse XXX images on the Internet in the comfort of your own home? Thanks, Internet. At least some of your victims deserved it.
With files from The Canadian Press
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