From Myspace to Artificial Intelligence
Growing up in a rural farming community in Central Indiana, I was a curious kid, interested in exploring the world beyond my small town. The early days of the internet, with the high-pitched song of dial-up, opened up a whole new universe for me. I remember those days with a mix of amusement and nostalgia, staying up late on AOL Instant Messenger with my friends, spilling my thoughts on LiveJournal, and curating my Top 8 on MySpace while learning basic HTML. The sense of connection and possibility was intoxicating, and it felt like we were living in the golden age of technology. We couldn’t imagine what the future held.
In fact, the permanence of the internet wasn’t even on our minds yet. One day, my sister stumbled upon my LiveJournal, where I had posted some Blink-182 lyrics with a few “bad words.” She called me up and, in her big-sister wisdom, said, “What you put on the internet lives there forever. You have to remember that the things you post will be seen by everyone, even potential employers someday.” Though I may have left the lyrics on my LiveJournal and rolled my eyes, her advice resonated with me then, and I became more mindful of my online presence.
The rise of social media in the past two decades has undeniably changed our lives. It has transformed the way we communicate, connect, and even perceive ourselves. The same way social media connected us all, AI is now poised to revolutionize not only our social lives but also every aspect of our existence.
As I sit here today, learning how to interact with ChatGPT, I can’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia wash over me. It’s like I’m that excited pre-teen all over again, discovering a brave new world — only this time, it’s different. It’s bigger. It’s invasive. And it’s happening so fast!
The rise of AI has me giddy with excitement. Literally. If I think about it too much my heart starts palpitating at the endless possibilities. I mean, it’s infiltrating every aspect of our lives and doing so in such a seamless manner that we can’t even tell if we’re talking to a human anymore. We’re on the verge of something unimaginable.
As I continue to invest my time and energy into learning how to engage with artificial intelligence, I hear my sister’s voice in the back of my mind, urging me to “think first” and consider the future. In embracing AI’s potential, we must remember the lessons we’ve learned from our adventures into the digital realm. The extreme and permanent impact that a technological revolution of this magnitude will unleash a charcuterie board style dish of new challenges and advancements. The impact of social media, though transformative, is minor compared to the staggering potential of AI.
It’s too late to turnback. We find ourselves at a crucial moment, where we must balance the wisdom gleaned from our past experiences with the excitement for AI’s possibilities. Being cognizant of the potential power of AI ensures we harness it responsibly and for the greater good. As we look to the future, we should approach AI with the same curiosity and excitement as we did in the early days of the internet while remaining mindful of our actions and their long-term implications (that damn LiveJournal is still up with the cuss words, preventing me from getting ALL the good jobs. haha!)
With this unique opportunity to harness AI’s power, we can improve the human experience, creating a more connected, efficient, and compassionate world. Embracing the lessons of the past while looking ahead to the possibilities of the future. Our MySpace selfies were preparing us for a revolution, we just didn’t know it yet.
