How did you find out information before the Internet?
It’s difficult to envision a period when smartphones and social media weren’t a part of everyday life. People used to get information by going to libraries to search through books or journals before the Internet. This is still true today, but people are flocking to libraries in droves to learn new skills, techniques, and shortcuts for finding information quickly, even with new technology.
The world has come a long way from sending messages on the horsebacks to instant messaging to anyone across the globe and certainly, the internet has ushered in a new era of information accessibility. People, on the other hand, had learned how to find knowledge in books, publications, and discussions, as well as how to focus on facts that were urgently required. The Internet is now subjected to the same rules. Although new information is now just one click away, to make sure that you get your desired information instantaneously you need a fast internet connection. For instance, Xfinity internet gives its users high-speed internet at affordable rates, so that they do not miss out on anything.
Obtaining information is as crucial as ever, yet we are never taught how to acquire and use the information wisely. Now that our lives have become so dependent on the internet that it feels surreal to think about how it was before all this began. People still interacted with one another and shared information but it was very different.
Some information that had been gained for one purpose was also being used in other areas of life. For instance, if someone has learned anything about budgeting from work, he would implement the same techniques at home and even church. The habit of studying military guides on how to repair automobiles, trucks gave the veterans enough confidence to use the very same manuals to mend their home heater, cars, lawnmowers, and whatnot. All the ways to gather the information from the past included physical efforts, like reading a book, a newspaper, or going to a bar for a conversation with peers. Here we will discuss how the information was found out in the pre-internet world.
Libraries
Libraries were the kings of information and the ideal study companions for students. They played an essential role as gateways to culture and knowledge in society. Before anyone had access to the internet and the google search engine, people had to go through a plethora of dictionaries, books, and encyclopedias. The libraries have always been considered as a reliable source for an authentic record of knowledge that was accumulated by the ancestors. Those were some difficult times as if you needed to search regarding anything, you had to go through reams of text to locate exactly what you are looking for. People had kept extensive encyclopedias in their homes as well so they could even teach their children well.
Phone Books
If anyone ever needed any phone number to be it a nearby dentist or the contact number of a deli, they had to sift through every page in the phone books.
Newspapers
People had to wait for the newspapers every morning to know what was going on around in their country even. People only had access to any news through the print media. The early 1900s especially were the Golden Age for the newspapers as they were at the peak of their influence and power. Newspapers brought better insights into the economical and developmental conditions of the countries.
Social Gatherings
Word of mouth was another main way of how the information traveled. Not everyone could have had a subscription to the newspaper or even radios, so they had to get their hands on the latest information and news through social gatherings.
Letters
It’s the internet that has turned the world into a global village and now everyone from anywhere in the world can get in contact with each other. Before the internet, it was not a possibility at all. People had to write letters to anyone who lived far away and wait for weeks and months for a response. People shared their personal information in those letters and informed their close ones about their lives.
Conclusion
In the 21st century, googling entails accessing the internet to search. Before that in the 1700s, googling meant looking things up in a book. By the mid-nineteenth century, it was about going to a library in your community. Today, the tools may have changed but the habits have not. The Internet has brought the world closer, but the time before its wide expansion was an era when people spent more time having face-to-face interactions and seeking new information from other vast sources. Now everyone has become heavily dependent on the internet and it is high time that we establish a perfect balance between the two worlds.
