What The Net Did

What has been the internet’s main influence on your life? 

The internet’s had a pretty big influence, I’d say. Since I’ve discovered it, I’ve never looked back as it has opened up my social and working world.  
A large percentage of my current friends have been made via the internet, through twitter or blogs. In fact I met my girlfriend on twitter last year, and that was through a mutual twitter friend. 

I have a very curious mind and always had a big collecting mentality, which the internet perpetually feeds, either by allowing me to keep up with new cartoonists or comics, or through finding new bands. I never find music on the radio anymore and seek stuff out on messageboards or myspace. 

It helps tremendously with my work too, in particular with research, as I have to regularly write historical strips for National Geographic Kids and there’s a limitless wealth of information at my fingertips, which was definitel never there before. Libraries are cool, but the selection of available material is always random and limited.

Has this influence been positive or negative?

 
Mostly positive, for the reasons stated above, but there are definite negative aspects to 24 hour information. 

What are the negative aspects?

 
It can lead to quite an addiction and eat into your time. Like I said, I have a curious mind, so once I get into a subject I can spend hours trawling websites for info and opinions. 

I remember sitting up till 3 in the morning ploughing through messageboards that ridicule creationists. I also spent a couple of years playing World of Warcraft fairly solidly, which could quite easily be said led to the breakdown of my marriage!

If the internet was a person and you met them in a pub, what would you say to them? 

Marry me.

Website: http://www.garynorthfield.co.uk/

Blog:      http://stupidmonsters.wordpress.com/

What The Net Did: a photography project by Laura Babb -www.laurababb.co.uk