If you can clearly remember life before the internet, what feature of it have you found to be most empowering?

Writing actual letters.

Being able to place local anonymous calls without being identified, tracked or recorded.

Being able to wander around outside with nobody knowing where we were, or having any expectation of being able to telephone us.

Having the skill to navigate, meet people, and even split up and re-meet people, without a GPS device or cell phone, because people could use maps and be responsible for meeting at certain places and times without them, without getting lost, and without panicking because “oh no we don’t have a smart phone”.

Being able to do research without a computer.

Having the expectation of not being surveiled and recorded by cameras in most public places.

Feeling like people in media and government at least made some effort to try to seem to be well-meaning adults capable of intelligent rational thought, speech and discourse, rather than lying scumbags and airheads asserting nonsense and never getting called out on it.

I remember, in the early computer age before Internet:
* There were good manuals and books for computers, hardware and software, that explained things in detail.
* Error messages could be looked up for explanations and what to do about them, in books.
* There were almost no &^#@ updates, and no mandatory ones done automatically.
* There was no question that a computer owner owned their machine and the data on it and controlled what it did and didn’t do.
* Software could be written and published by a single independent person, and sold commercially, without being in competition with multi-million-dollar software corporate projects.
* You could entertain people with computer games with simple graphics or even text, and they’d be excited to engage them using their imaginations instead of demanding photo-realistic 3D graphics.

* You could buy a new automobile for a few thousand dollars.

* Health insurance wasn’t an unaffordable joke for people who don’t work for a large organization.

Excellent post, @Zaku

(Wow. Three in a row who didn’t read the details.)

The endless possibilities for software, TV, and film piracy.
Oh, and endless porn.

Natural progression from innocence to maturity. It is a little hard to explain but let me try. In the pre internet times, people gained wisdom as they progressed in age, either by personal experience or repeated interaction with already experienced people. This resulted in a natural progression of mental development. People knew, understood or experienced things at the right age and that made them wiser. It also made them respect the elders (for the lack of a better word) a little more?
In this internet age, people don’t need to rely on ‘elders’ to gain wisdom. They can jump on the net and learn (more than what the elders know, actually). They also are exposed to a lot of things at not so appropriate ages. This has somewhat diluted the interpersonal interactive skills that are necessary for humans to become better. It also has somewhat diluted the respect kids have for older people. (just follow any active thread on any active social platform and you’ll see how obnoxious some of the little twerps are…) Anyway, the natural progression from innocence to wisdom is completely warped nowadays…and that is not going to end well..
I love the internet though. When used correctly, it is one of the best inventions of mankind!

The single most empowering feature for me has been the ability to plan and organise personalised holidays. I can examine everything in great detail from the comfort of my home; travel arrangements, accommodation, sightseeing possibilities and things to do. I can then book everything online while ensuring I get the best deals.

Buying stuff.

Your “it” was ambiguous in the wording of the question. As the first answers reflect, the it could refer to “life before the internet” or it could refer to the internet. From your details, it seems you mean “it” to refer to the internet.

It has changed, reflecting the times. During the pandemic, for example, I have found it most empowering to not only stay informed, but to be aware of people I care about without having to call them constantly to check on them.
Before the pandemic, having access to sources of information (that would previously have been difficult to access) was (still is) extremely empowering.

The aspect of having a library at your fingertips.
As my memory fades, I can easily search for facts that escape me, for example when I am watching a movie and I can’t remember where I’ve seen that actor before.

The most empowering part for me is knowledge at my fingertips. In depth.
Even communicating easily with my family in other parts of the world is really nice. Letters and phone calls aren’t my thing so the internet makes me far more accessible.

Learning to be confident and ok with being alone and not needing people or their opinions to justify my feelings or existence. Having a journal or diary to have private thoughts was more acceptable, instead of feeling the need to broadcast everything on the internet.

I remember feeling trapped in a small town with people I felt I didn’t have much in common with. It was either being at home alone in my own imagination, or around my stressed out mother who could snap at any moment, watching tv, reading or playing video games to avoid interactions with her.

Or hanging out with neighborhood friends, having pranks played on me or watching people skateboard because I didn’t know how, and even when people tried to teach me, I couldn’t grasp the concepts, which just made me feel more inadequate. This was during the Tony Hawk era so having a skateboard and knowing how to was the “in” thing.

I remember being really happy whenever it was time to get high on marijuana or drunk off beer because it calmed me down and stopped all the racing anxiety ridden thoughts and beating myself up in my own head.

I learned to just retreat into my own world and slowly realize being around people isn’t always the best. I think this has made me a more independent person and stronger internally instead of wondering if I’m inadequate for not being in an in-crowd, whereas now….it’s accepted and expected to include everyone in your thoughts and life via “sharing” everything on a social media platform, to the point where people ask why you haven’t shared or posted anything.

Oh, dear, @janbb, you’re right. Thanks. What I get for posting questions after my bedtime.

The intended question again:

What feature of the internet have you found to be most empowering—assuming you can remember life without it?

Without any reservation, it’s the access to information. Nearly any question I have ever had that I bothered to research can be either answered or at least much better understood.

@cookieman Oh I read the details. I just strongly preferred my own interpretation of the question.

I would agree with those who say the access to research and information although that can be a double-edged sword if there is not accuracy. And the other empowering feature is the aspect to like-minded communities. I used the internet to find a group of single hikers when I was newly single and that made such a difference in my life. But again, can be a double-edged sword almost literally as we see in the organization online of the attempted coup at the Capitol.

Edit: “access” not “aspect”

Good point, @janbb, the access to like-minded people, support groups, hobby groups and the like has been a huge boon.

So, @Zaku, I liked your list, but I would also like to know your thoughts on the opposite interpretation, the question I meant to ask. Because here you are on the internet, hanging out with us virtually.

Going outside and playing. I’d wake up on a Saturday morning, eat breakfast, hop on my bike and go out with friends and then be home at dinner. No phones, no video games.

Sure. The most empowering and important for me personally has been the ability to effectively work from home doing computer and game work, and for distant people whom I wouldn’t have much access to without the Internet. That also includes work on web sites, and work on games that on balance are probably boosted and in some ways made possible by the Internet.

Having contact with people around the world is probably my favorite internet benefit.

But the most empowering is having two things at hand – the equivalent of every phone book around the world, and every map around the world.

What feature of the internet have you found most empowering, if you remember life before it?

That’s the question. That’s the question.

I’m distinguishing “empowering” from things like convenient, fun, and novel.

@Jeruba Sorry. Misunderstood. Easy access to news sources I trust.

Being able to research topics. Also, connecting with people and helping each other.

The most empowering feature is the ability tlook up information at the push of a few buttons.
Yesterday, I was in my car and was reminded of an old TV show where the teacher would look through a magic mirror and call out children’s’ names she “saw” through the TV. I was a smart kid and knew it was BS until she mentioned my name!
“Magic mirror tell me today did all my freinds have fun at play?”
A little fiffling with my phone and Boom! There is was! Romper Room with Miss Nancy

For me, it’s a tie between the ability to have info in a second (thanks to googling), anything and everything from travel to what other movies what this actor in, to recipes, to you name it. That’s a tie with social networking, which I really enjoy (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.). Thanks to Facebook, I’ve found people or they’ve found me, that I lost touch with decades ago – former babysitters, classmates, friends, family.