APIGA Insights

"Life without the Internet? That’s hard. I’ve learnt a lot from the Internet. When I was 16, my father allowed me to build my own personal computer. I remember reading lots of comments and suggestions on forums online. People with similar interests would often form a community and share their experiences on building computers. That helped me to choose the best parts to use.

In school, they also taught us how to code and build applications, but I always went back to online forums for more information and guidance.

I am now waiting to graduate from Chonnam National University with a degree in Computer Engineering. Although I am still thinking about what to do in the future, at least for now, I know what I can do. The Internet helped me to realize that.”

“A few years ago, I travelled to Cuba during my stay in Mexico to learn Spanish. I made some incredibly friendly locals, but I’ve not been able to keep in touch with as some of them didn’t have phones or access to the Internet. They were really interested in getting to know more about the Korean culture but they can’t get that information freely like us. It was a heartwarming and moving experience.

My generation lives on the Internet, and I can’t really keep up with my friends from all over the world without it. It is important to be able to communicate with them, as they have become part of who I am.

The Internet gave us a whole new world to live in, and I hope that we can have better accessibility so that we can get more connected with each other.”

"With the world’s information almost always a few clicks away, it has become clearer to me what really matters in life. So I try to spend more time on what makes us human, like appreciating what makes us creative, poetic, humorous, loving, caring, and beautiful.

Having been involved in technology policy development over the past few years, I have learnt to appreciate the importance of Internet governance in ensuring that communities are better served with the free flow of data across borders. I feel strongly about a non-discriminatory and open Internet which allows for competition and consumer choice.

I believe policies like these are vital to the development of the society and the economy so that more of us can make use of the Internet to do what we should do best: being wonderfully human."