My three boys graduated HS between 2000-04. Really not that long ago.
We didn't have internet access until the youngest was like a junior/senior so we're talking maybe 2003. I was told that my kids would be behind. They would be computer illiterates. Today they've not only caught up but I would venture a guess they know more than most. In fact my youngest son is a computer genius in my eyes for all that he knows and does. He gets paid pretty big bucks today for what he does and it's all computer oriented. He's in marketing, sets up websites, helps businesses do better business etc, all with computer software programs that he's designing. Recently, to his own amazement, he had two corporations fighting over him with what started out to be just a job offer from a competing company familiar with his work. In the end he wound up making 20K more a year because one outbid the other for his employment.
At the time they were in HS I was leery about the whole kids on the net stuff so we opted not to bring the internet into the house. We had heard lots of rumors about the fact that being on the net was kin to dropping your kids off in the middle of NY City and letting them go with no supervision.
At the time it was just beginning to be a tool for research in the school systems. They had computer access in school if they needed to do any research but it had not been a real problem up until then. It was more of an optional thing for the most part. Today it would be impossible, it seems, just in these few short years to NOT be on the net. In fact I read recently some school systems, in an effort to save money, are requiring students to take at least one online HS class before they graduate. I have a feeling that's where we're going. If that's the case, what will we do with all these huge school buildings that were built in the last so many years?
Our kids didn't do FB or My Space. They didn't have any online friends. Neither did I. Their friends were tangible. They could see the expressions on their faces as they talked with them and they could hear the tone of their voices as they spoke with them over the phone. How in the world did we survive with no internet? Hard to imagine now isn't it? Does anyone talk on the phone anymore? I mean really talk? Seems like it's more about texting or emailing or face booking these days.
Makes me wonder what else is coming in the near future for our grandchildren?