A Blast From The Past - Internet Memories!

The invention of cyber cafés gave so many people, myself included, the opportunity to use the internet for the first time. I recall browsing the internet for the first time in year 2000, at my then boyfriend's cyber café. I was thrilled to have accessed the world through the internet, and at the same time gobsmacked by the endless information available.

Back in the day, cyber cafés were such a big deal, and having a personal connection to the owner gave me more access to the internet.

Unlike today, where one subscribes to data plans, use Wi-Fi or Mi-Fi to access the internet, cyber cafes back then operated differently. To use the internet, you'd buy a set amount of time, usually printed on a small white paper receipt with a PIN. The time was bounded, so you could choose to buy either 10, 15, 20, 30 minutes, or an hour. Once you had the receipt, you'd enter the PIN to access the internet.

As the girlfriend of the cyber cafe owner,
I was on "freemium" and could access the internet without PINS.

The benefits of having connections. Lol.

The day I sent my first email, I was thrilled to see how quickly it reached my boyfriend's inbox. One day, I had visited him at the cyber café, and while we were chatting, he handed me a paper print out, with an email address and password written on it.
The address "[email protected]" had me guessing that it was mine but I looked at him questioningly, seeking confirmation. He nodded in confirmation, and I was over the moon! I couldn't wait to access my new email account and send my very first email. With his help, I was able to do so, and it was a "thank you message" to him.

From then on, any time I visited, I would surf the internet and share digital love. 123Greetings.com was my favorite site. I loved sending e-cards, beautiful animated GIFs or messages to friends and family members, who had email addresses then.

I joined Facebook in July 20, 2010, after starting my new job. Owning a social media account was a requirement for my job. I didn't have a smart phone then so I used my company's computer to create a Facebook account. It was a whole new experience, connecting and chatting with other users via Messenger, I can recall how thrilled I was uploading my first profile picture immediately after creating the account, and sending my first chat on Messenger.

I still maintain the same account till date, although I'm not longer so active on Facebook.

Then in 2014, a friend gifted me a Nokia smartphone, and that was the beginning of my journey into other social media platforms - WhatsApp, Twitter now X, LinkedIn, Telegram and Instagram

I joined Telegram, X and LinkedIn same year, 2020, during the Covid 19 national lockdown. Joining these platforms really helped me live through the lockdown, as I was gaining a lot of knowledge there especially on LinkedIn.

This was in 2024

This was my Xversasry in 2023

After joining LinkedIn, I was able to connect with professionals in and outside my industry. I also took some professional trainings via LinkedIn Learning, all which I received the certificates thereafter.

That's a wrap. As I reminisce about my early days with the internet, I'm reminded that "change is the only constant thing in life." Technology has come a long way, and it still has more longer ways to go.

Thanks for joining me on this memorable journey. Till next time.

This is my response to the Digi-prompts 028. You can join here

All Photos Are Screenshots From My Accounts And The Sites Mentioned

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