The Effects of Using The Internet: Then and Now

The internet wasn't like it is today. It wasn't as easily accessible then. It was also a little harder to spread information at the rate that it spreads today. Though this was the case, there were still activists who used the internet to their advantage and tried to spread the message that they wanted. While reading through "Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement," it was obvious that people didn't quite understand how the internet worked in it's beginning stages.

Children's mental health wasn't as important as it is now and I think that taking a look at how far the internet has come is amazing because of how easily issues can be advocated for now. There's a lot more accessibility and there's a much easier way (as well as multiple ways) that people can spread messages. Reading about how there managed to still be people who were rude while a message was being spread was interesting though. Today there are many "trolls" who try to spread misinformation or silence those who are working to get messages out into the open. Back when the internet was simpler, it seems that it wasn't as much of an issue, though there were still people who didn't truly care or try to understand the issues that other people went through.

Even though the internet was simpler then, there were still obstacles that people faced when trying to speak their mind. Their messages may have not spread in a way that could have people notice or they were faced with people who did everything to shut down the spreading of this information. There also is a risk of people forgetting about a website/domain years later. Even if it was on a much smaller scale than today, it was still something that could be perceived as scary, especially because not many people knew the risks of using the internet.

There were and still are pros and cons to using the internet as a means to spread information in terms of advocacy work, but it is still a good resource to use because of the amount of people that it can reach, the ability to redirect those people to sources for more information and/or fundraisers, and more. It is a way to bring many people together and works as a way to keep those included who otherwise couldn't make it to organized physical events.