Hey there,

As a millennial born in the ‘80s, I’ve had a front-row seat to the rapid evolution of technology, especially when it comes to education. Unlike Gen X, I don’t remember a time before computers, but I do remember a time before the internet was an everyday necessity. Back then, technology was a tool, not the foundation of learning.

In elementary school, computers were a novelty. We had a dedicated “computer lab,” where we’d take turns playing Oregon Trail on those bulky off-white desktops. Research meant flipping through encyclopedias or, if we were lucky, using Encarta on CD-ROM. The internet existed, but it wasn’t something we had regular access to… unless you counted dialing into AOL and waiting through that screeching connection sound just to send an email.

By the time I was graduating high school and entering college, things really started to shift. Google replaced Yahoo as the go-to search engine, and teachers began integrating online sources into assignments. There was this thing called MySpace with this guy named Tom, and we were organizing our best friends from favorite to… #8? And no, that’s not hashtag eight. 

I landed my first internship at a talent agency, and learned digital platforms that helped filter out “talent” for castings. I landed my first full-time job at the Academy of Art, and experienced the School of Fashion launch an entirely online fashion class – yes, they sent us boxes of their creations after learning how to sew…ONLINE. It was mind-blowing at the time. 

Fast forward to today, and as a copywriter and content strategist, digital tools are at the core of everything I do. In fact, I teach a fully online, asynchronous college class on social media marketing myself now. After all, learning social media IRL would seem a bit ironic, no? Or maybe infusing physical aspects into our digital learning lives would actually propel us further than we think? I vote for the latter. 

If you take away one thing from this today, though, it’s this: Just because something is online doesn’t mean it’s effortless. Whether it’s taking a class or managing a remote team, digital communication requires intention. That’s why I can’t stress enough how important it is to prioritize making content that feels human, not just transactional. Just like an online teacher works to bring life into a virtual classroom, focusing on creating content that resonates, educates, and connects is where we’ll bridge the virtual gap that inadvertently will always exist otherwise.

Oh, and next week, stay tuned as we chat about content overload and the ever-shrinking attention span. As marketers and writers, we’re constantly asking: what actually holds attention in a sea of scrolling? Is it a bite-sized video? Long-form essays? Podcasts you play in the background but never finish? We'll share how each of us navigates this reality, with a dose of our own perspectives, as well as the audiences we write for 😊