The assigned videos today took me back to a time of the internet that I hardly remembered experiencing on my own. Yet, there are parts of the highlighted concepts that triggered memories and emotions I wasn’t even aware existed. Listening to the many firsts that occurred somewhat simultaneously to my upbringing made me think about the effects they could have had on my own life. For example, the video talks about the first YouTube video uploaded in April of 2005 which started a revolution (7:30). This clip brought me back to a time of my own discovering of YouTube, where I watched a fairly ridiculous video of a women rapping about Chapstick with some of my friends and thought it was absolutely hilarious. Now, I see that as the first YouTube video I ever watched, even though it was actually posted around two years after the start of YouTube.
Another very interesting part of the video occurred around 5:30, where it discussed the “marriage between the mobile phone and the internet.” Growing up, I remember the fourth grade was when I first got my own cell phone, which I convinced my parents I needed if I was going to bike to school by myself. We reached an agreement quickly that was able to benefit both parties. However, having a cell phone meant I could make a phone call, and that was about it. I believe it was called a Firefly mobile that allowed me to call my mom, dad, and maybe one other contact. Besides that, the device was simply for looks to show off to my friends at school. In the video I learned about mobile phones that had access to the internet even when I was at such a young age, however it was so expensive to actually use the internet that it was considered an unsustainable product. These days, just about every mobile phone has access to internet. My grandfather, who just made the switch from a flip phone to an iPhone this year, even says that he often uses the internet feature on his new device.
The second video was a bit further out of reach in my memory. However, there were sparks that came from the discussion of the “early internet.” In addition, I learned a lot about what has happened to this version of the internet right under my nose, meanwhile I had never stopped to think about or notice it. Today it is so clear that social media platforms and just about all websites that are popping up for new start-ups and portfolios tend to look the same. The boundaries are growing tighter, and old ways of expressing creativity through web design are dissolving. That being said, I find it interesting that the world of graphic design continues to thrive. In this video there was emphasis on the old ways of sharing art on the internet, such as gifs that express emotions and ways of welcoming viewers to the website and encouraging interaction. While many of these tendencies have died out or been swept away by the clean white borders, I still believe there are ways of creating unique features of a website that follow the guidelines and possibly even incorporate some of the older traditions.