Internet “My Valentine

Writer Molly Jong-Fast, author of three romantic novels, tells of her eternal love for the Internet on Glamor.

The Internet is the place to connect people who haven’t yet found their other half on Valentine’s Day. Photo: Glamor.

“I still remember that first time. It was a rainy day when I was 17 when I started using WebTV service with dial-up connection. The device has a remote control, but it does not work unless you point to the correct control box. The connection was so quick (except when it suddenly shut down and I had to redo the whole process).

That night, I fell in love with the Internet.

At that time, the Internet was like an empty stadium in the middle of the stands, full of geeks. But a great place for those who don’t like to be alone in thinking.

I think I’m more lonely than most people. At that time, I was a child and always wanted to escape. No wonder I love television, books and visions of other worlds. I was always looking for a place to escape. The Internet is the place where I can transform into the person I want to meet with anyone at any time. For those who dislike being themselves, the Internet is heaven.

I am 41 years old now. I didn’t grow up with smartphones like young people today. My childhood was associated with landlines, constant signals and televisions – which always stopped broadcasting at night. Just like that until the night the Internet entered my life.

Later, I started using MySpace and Facebook. Referring to Facebook, is referring to a bad side of the Internet. Social networks reduce attention, making people less and less communicate in real life. E-commerce kills the retail industry. Amazon knows more about us than our parents. The relationships are broken, our thoughts are interrupted and immersed in the vast sea of ​​digital content, constantly changing.

But for someone like me, the Internet is a wonderful thing. I love and stick with it. Certainly, a great novel is not written in 280 characters, but Twitter has pushed me back into writing after years of bad luck.

One of the complaints about the Internet – like a bad mistress – is that it disrupts our other relationships. But on Twitter, I found many communities that don’t exist in real life. Twitter is like a Star Wars pub, where the smartest, weirdest people are gathered. This platform, despite its controversial policies, gives me ideas and opportunities to meet talented editors and new friends. Social networking, like the Internet, opens up a world I’ve never known.

I love my children. I love my husband. But they are human. They have to sleep, have to go to school and spend time for personal life. Internet never sleeps I can always find someone who is awake like me, someone who is rebellious like me and someone who feels the same way as me. Isn’t that romance forever?

Not everyone can spend time with the person they love. And the Internet is always there. It doesn’t heal loneliness, but it doesn’t produce loneliness. Sometimes I get up at 4am and know what to do. The whole world is sleeping. I love the Internet – “Valentine” never sleeps me “.