Do i remember life before the internet? Of course. I was born in the early 1960’s. I remember crying when the Beatles split up. I remember watching the moon landings on TV. I remember when TV was in black and white, and when it was on for only a few hours a day. I remember when our house only had a single coal fire, and that we didn’t get our first fridge freezer until I was about 12, which meant everything had to be bought and cooked fresh. I remember when the shops weren’t open on Sunday’s and there was nothing to do. I remember when we got the first computer game Pong, and my first digital watch. I remember doing my maths exam before calculators were a thing, I remember getting our first colour telly and watching Scooby Doo.

I remember all those things and there is a nostalgia to them that I love, but it’s also easy to forget the other, less glamorous things. I remember being really cold. I remember being hungry. I remember being smacked and constantly shouted at by my strict Mother. I remember having to do as I was told and having no opinion. I remember when a bedroom was a place of punishment and the only thing in it was a bed and a wardrobe. I remember getting the cane at school. I remember how strict and nasty the nuns were who taught me. I remember the rough area I grew up in, the gangs, the constant fighting, being attacked and beaten in the street by skinheads. I remember the racism. I remember the hatred. I don’t see any of that on ‘Do you remember the good old 70s or 80s’ TV shows.

I hear people saying the internet has ruined the world. That it has brought anxiety and fear into people’s homes, that it spreads hatred and the corruption of morality. Maybe some of that is true, but then if that’s so, we should switch it off. We should put strong child filters on things and police the internet better. People can have liberty yes, but not at the expense of the greater good. A more utilitarian internet would be better for all of us, so long as it isn’t then the subject of corruption by the controlling authorities.

So yes, I remember life before the internet. It was tough. We were poor. It wasn’t easy, and we need to look forwards, not backwards. We’ve never had it so good.