Net Neutrality for the better

We have had our time to complain about it, but net neutrality is going to be gone and there’s not much we can do about it. It’s frightening to see the internet as we know it die. We’re getting stripped away of something that brought endless joy to us all and it feels like the end of the world. The internet is used for much more than just distractions – doing research, sharing presentations, or writing essays, to name a few – and it is in the very least a very efficient task manager. But the majority of the people using the internet are probably just finding a way to procrastinate in a much more fun way. The new form of internet may be awful, but we can all try and use this as a chance to better ourselves.

Although we all enjoy the countless hours we spend on the internet watching some cynical cartoon like “Happy Tree Friends” or any other guilty pleasure, there are just better ways to spend your time. Not much progress can be made by just mindlessly watching Youtubers videotape how exciting their lives are while you sit in your underwear or pajamas all day. With the change to net neutrality, doing anything requiring internet access can be more expensive than you can afford. This is very sad for the vast majority of us but it serves as an excellent opportunity to change.

Without having as much internet freedom, there is probably going to be a lot more free time on our hands. So you can use this to try and get rid of that procrastination problem by being able to buckle down. If you feel out of shape or want to feel better about how you look you can go out and get some exercise because there’s no more internet keeping you indoors. New Year’s resolutions are possibly made easier to achieve. If your goal was to socialize more or to pick up any new hobbies, the internet is no longer there to distract you or help you create some elaborate excuse as to why you couldn’t pull through with your promise to the New Year.

Personally the net neutrality repeal hurts my favorite hobby: playing video games. Just like everybody else I am going to have to try and adapt to the new world somehow. I am already slightly fond of reading so there’s a good chance I’ll be picking up books more often. If my attempt at reading fails then I could spend more time simply with my family. As bad as it sounds, most of us have probably distanced ourselves from our loved ones unintentionally. With the internet going bye-bye I can sit down, relax, and watch a sports game with my family instead of sheltering myself away. There are plenty of ways we can improve our lives even though it feels like the end. This change is a difficult one but instead of immediately jumping on the pessimism train we should try and explore this new world with an open mind and good intentions.