What It's Like to Get Online After 25 Years in Prison

Written by Michael Santos

The Internet did not exist when I began serving my prison sentence in 1987. I didn’t have direct access to the Internet as it dawned onto popular culture and became mainstream for many Americans, throughout the “You’ve got mail!” craze of the '90s. Years would pass, until my release from prison in 2012 before I’d be able to experience the Internet first hand

While I served my prison sentence, I frequently dreamed of using the Internet. From reading numerous technology magazines and financial newspapers, I perceived the web as a powerful tool. From my perspective, it would become more influential to the advancement of society than television, radio and the telephone combined