I would like to start my article with a very silly but, in my opinion, quite a logical question. I am trying to keep the question particularly absurd, but the question doesn’t really matter here. What matters is the situation. But the question must be absurd so that we can better understand the value of the Internet. As someone who spent his days on the street in the 90s, I learned to be curious. In our period, the Internet was just developing, but despite everything, it did not have the width it has today. Naturally, it was a time when we did not accept the Internet as a resource yet. But we were curious. We were young and beautiful. We were constantly asking questions but could not get the answer to everything. So one of those questions is a silly question like “What are the benefits of horse shit?”
Just imagine, you’re sitting on the street with your friends in the late 90s or early 2000s, and out of the blue, a silly question pops into your mind. I am obsessive. I would like to get the answer to my question. What are the benefits of horse shit? I have to consult the sources to get the answer to the question, right? So what are my resources? My first resource is my family. I’ll ask them and most likely won’t get an answer. They’re either going to throw me off or be silly trying to answer. My second resource is the encyclopedias in our old and varnished library. But I don’t think the answer to this silly question is there. Because the titles of those books are usually clear. Who is who, or what is where. My third source is my friends or the people around me. This question came to my mind when I was with them. I asked right on the spot, and they all laughed at me. There was no way they would know, and when I asked, my aim was to create hilarity.
My fourth and final resource is people who may have expertise on the subject. I have to either go to the field or to the horse farm. As a person living in a metropolis, where can I find these places now? And probably no one will take me there.
So what happened now? I did not get the answer to my question. I’m left with what I asked myself and wasted my time. Most likely, I will not learn for a long time, or I will forget the question anyway, and I will not learn at all.
Let’s look at the world of 2023 now. A silly question came to your mind when you were at your office. You told yourself how ridiculous these mosquitoes are and what would happen if they all disappeared? There is only one thing you have to do. Take the phone out of your pocket, open Uncle Google, and ask that silly question that’s been running through your head. Voile. You found your answer exactly. Horse poop is very useful, and it would be awful if the mosquitoes disappeared.
A Very Accessible World
The world we live in today is a much more practical and accessible world, which provides conveniences like never before, and where many things are solved forever except for a couple of issues. People love to create doomsday scenarios. Sometimes they make rambling sentences as if we are living in the worst age in history. Don’t listen to them. The numbers will refute these people. We are in history’s most advanced, organized, and informed time. Of course, we are now faced with the problem of correct and incorrect information, but that is the subject of another article.
The same people love to criticize social media too. I will also publish an article on this topic either. When we humans get used to something, we devalue it. Knowledge is one of the undervalued. We can reach it so easily that it has no value anymore. Some people have never understood the importance of knowledge, which is what my article is all about. In the world of 2023, a large part of people still has not figured out how important and valuable the Internet is.
Year 2009, I was a young man studying Tourism and Hotel Management. I was 18 years old and enlightened after being deported from my country. Because of that, I needed to stay at home for one year. And this situation and the space I have affected me so much that I decided that I wanted to make movies. But I couldn’t figure out how to do it or where to start, so I signed up for a course. They taught me how to make a movie. Don’t want to look arrogant, but I already knew. Let’s just say, I went to confirm. One way or another, I finished the course and shot a short film. While shooting, I had edited the movie in my head, but I had no idea how to do it on the computer. Even though I used the legendary Movie Maker a lot, I didn’t even have the slightest knowledge about editing a movie.
Then something occurred to me. I told myself I’d ask Uncle Google how to do this job. I asked. And it directed me to some pages on Youtube. I watched videos from different people on how to cut videos, put credits, slow down and speed up videos, freeze frames, add effects to images, and many more. I finished my journey where I didn’t know a single thing in a way that I could edit a whole movie. And that happened in just a few weeks. My evolution from scratch to a person who could do simple jobs in a company was just a few Youtube videos.
It’s been 14 years. Today, I work as a professional video editor, and I still ask YouTube about things I don’t know. Today, I learned my money-making profession not from a university, high school, or course but from a few heroes who voluntarily shot videos on Youtube. And It’s free!
So did I stay there? No. Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Lightroom, Sony Vegas Pro, Capture One, and many more; I learned all the programs that enabled me to make money from Youtube. I have accessed information that will allow me to do business in other countries without spending a single penny. The only thing I give in return is a thumbs up.
Ask A Question
Let’s get serious now. Ever since Google launched in 1998, people have asked this tricolor company billions of questions. Every day someone asks Google questions that have never been asked before, and someone somewhere in the world answers them. The Internet is where I learned that the absurd things that happen to me happen not only to me, but also to others. Turns out it wasn’t just me. I have been officially exploiting the Internet for 14 years, the power of which I understood in 2009. Of course, I do not hesitate to give people’s due. I have the utmost respect for anyone who works hard and shares information. I owe my thanks to them. I am now, one of them.
The Internet is a great boon to anyone who has the intention and needs to learn. When I went to Africa, Guinea in 2020, the first thing that came to my mind was, “the person who has the internet in this country and works at home for one year would earn a lot of money.” The things that anyone who has the intention and really wants to learn will learn in just one year on the Internet are broad and qualified enough to enable him to find a job in the professional sector. And this information continues to increase every day.
Do We Need Universities Anymore?
This brings to mind the question: How necessary are universities now? This is where we get into the issue of people who don’t understand the value of the Internet that I mentioned above. Today, you can learn many things that you can learn at universities, even better, online. Except for a few professions, for example, doctor, lawyer, chemist, and similar jobs that require deep knowledge and experience, you still need a university or a certificate, but for the rest, there is no need for a university. The new university, now the Internet.
The problem here is this: Not everyone has a chance to go to quality universities. The best example is me. The teachers of each school cannot add much to you. Some of them don’t even understand the newly developing world. But you have these volunteer heroes on the Internet. They are ready to share everything new with you. And not only universities, we can also add any school or course to this subject. You don’t have to pay thousands of money every year. You don’t have to travel every day. You don’t have to wait in line. All you have to do is write what you are curious about on Google or Youtube. The rest will only depend on how intent you are.
In fact, let me move the subject to another point: If you do not have an area of expertise today, except for certain professions, and you complain about not having one, you are solely responsible. Of course, there is no accusation here. Do not get it wrong. Because, I am aware, thousands or even millions of people think that the Internet is just social media. Watching funny videos or movies, tweeting, or sharing photos. Even though people know that there is a mountain of information on the Internet, they do not know how to evaluate it. Some do not have the technical equipment to assess this information. I understand them, too, because my computer for editing in 2009 was pre-Christian. But I persevered.
Now, those who are aware of the blessings of the Internet, and develop themselves will start life 1-0 ahead. And those who do not know will always complain about impossibilities or lack of education. However, all they have to do is ask questions.
I don’t want to go over the top, but the Internet is no longer just full of digital media training. Those who want to be a cook, those who want to be a carpenter, those who want to be a writer, those who want to be a mechanic, those who wish to deal with computer parts… Videos and articles from many different fields you can think of are packed on the Internet, and they continue to increase every day. When I studied cinema history in 2010, the education I received was an eye-opening event for me. But then I realized that the Internet has ten times bigger information than the education I received.Â
Long Story Short
Bottom line… People love to vilify. It is a habit of mouth; we constantly criticize. But the period we are in right now is a period that has never happened before in history. There has never been a time when information was so easily accessible. There is hardly a single question that cannot be answered. No power can stop you when you want to learn. You can get all kinds of information by taking out your phone and making a few clicks. I just learned that L’Inferno, made in 1911, was the first Italian feature film. As a kid in the 90s, I would probably have to find an Italian movie book or go to Italy to find an answer to this question.
Likewise, this period we live in is a beautiful period for anyone who wants to have a profession and acquire a hobby. If you can continue your adventure that you will start today for 1 year without stopping, there is no reason for you not to find a job in the future. Yes, today’s world still asks for a “university certificate.” But again, the same companies ask you for a portfolio. Because these people who will hire you or want to do business with you want to see what you can do. What is the value of a certificate or university at this point? If you could create a portfolio for yourself with what you learned from the Internet, what is the difference between university and the Internet?