Oral History

INTERVIEW PROTOCOL:
1) What was your first interaction with the Internet?
a. How was this experience for you?
2) Can you remember a time when you did not use the Internet?
3) How did going to college without the Internet affect you?
4) How did entering the workforce without the Internet affect you?
5) What was the first job you remembered having the Internet at?
a. What do you remember out the workplace changing after the advent of the Internet?
6) What does the Internet mean for you?
a. In your current position?
b. In your personal life
7) How does the Internet help you maintain and build relationships?
a. How has this changed from when you did not have the Internet?

ORAL HISTORY:
Carol Hedberg can’t remember a time when she didn’t have the Internet. For her, it feels like it has always been there.

Of course, she knows there’s a time when she didn’t have the Internet to assist in various activities. In high school, a typewriter was her companion for writing papers. In college, it was the catalog system at the library. Rather than searching for resources online, she checked books out of the library and brought them back to her dorm room to take notes. There was never a question of credibility for Hedberg, because if a book was published, it was deemed a credible source. When it came time to writing college papers, she wasn’t privy to her own computer. Instead, she took her notes to an on-campus building that had a computer terminal and typed her paper there.

When she entered the workforce, Hedberg had similar experiences. During her time at BlueCross BlueShield of Iowa, she shared terminals with her co-workers because they didn’t have their own computers. As manager of information systems at Cyntex, she was responsible for purchasing the company’s computer. Even then, however, she never had access to the Internet or to e-mail. Rather, she conversed with her co-workers through different means. When it came to office information, Hedberg and her colleagues communicated through inter-office memos and meeting minutes. This used incredible amounts of paper, as everything had to be documented at the organization. On a more personal level, Hedberg interacted with her colleagues and close work friends through the phone. On a near daily basis, she would call her friend Jill to ask if she was ready for lunch.

When the Internet finally did come to her office, Hedberg can’t remember. Part of the reason could be the nature of her career. Her job was working with computers, so when it was introduced, it wasn’t scary. Rather, Hedberg looked at it as a new opportunity.

While the Internet may have made an appearance early in her professional life, Hedberg’s personal life was not influenced until much later. After leaving Iowa for a quieter, small town life with her husband and family, Hedberg’s first recollection of having the Internet at home was in a transitional house fondly known as “the little white and blue house.” There, she and her husband purchased dial up Internet, which tapped into the phone line. Their phone bills increased exponentially because there were now two phone lines a month, one for the phone and one for the dial up.

This only lasted a short while though. Since Hedberg’s husband is a computer programmer, the family quickly adopted the new technology into their daily lives. By the time they had moved from the little white and blue house into their current home, Hedberg’s husband had set up a wireless network and almost every family member had an e-mail account and instant messenger log in.

Now, Hedberg emails her daughters whenever she wants, communicating with them on an almost constant basis. Hedberg has also found other ways of communicating online. Since both daughters are away in college, Hedberg is able to send YouTube videos of their younger brother in his various activities so the girls stay connected. Most recently, she sent a video of her son’s Homecoming coronation skit.

And while Hedberg may not be head of information systems at a large company anymore, she still finds the Internet a necessary part of her day-to-day activities as a church secretary. No longer does the church need phone books, because any information or numbers can be found online. Hedberg can search Google for anything she may need, saving her valuable hours that used to be spent on the phone. Her e-mail is her constant companion at the office, allowing her to respond to people at a moment’s notice.

While Hedberg may not remember the first time she used the Internet, she does recognize its value in everyday life. “So much of your life comes through [the Internet] now,” she says. For this, Hedberg can’t help but be grateful.