4 Popular Hobbies That Started With the Internet

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                    This Guest Post Was Written And Compiled By Carl Hooper

Of all the benefits the Internet has provided, the power to build communities may be the greatest. Before the Internet, communities were largely limited by geographical barriers. Some large hobby groups would send out a newsletter and hold conventions, but most people toiled away at the hobbies in solitude. Online communities have broken down these barriers and given hobbyists the ability to talk with other who have similar interests. Some hobbies only became prominent because of the power of the Internet.


1) Fantasy Sports
Fantasy football, fantasy baseball and fantasy versions of any sport imaginable owe their existence and popularity to the Internet. It can be hard to imagine that these activities only rose to prominence in the past 10 years or so, but there was a time when fantasy sports were a fringe hobby.

While the earliest versions of fantasy baseball predate the Internet, the versions of fantasy sports that are played today have become some of the most popular hobbies today. Participants can use the Internet to find valuable statistics about their teams and players, and automatic score tabulation has removed much of the challenging work these leagues demand. Further, players can compete with others across the globe.

2) Fan Fiction
Although it still seems to be a fringe hobby in the minds of the public, fan fiction writing is one of the most popular online hobbies. Fans of television shows, movies and comic books have traditionally been limited to the content produced by these franchise's creators, and many are unsatisfied with watching or reading the same material over and over again. By tapping into the dynamic characters and exciting environments created by these popular franchise, hobbyists can share their visions of these fictional universes with their friends. Some of these stories have even been accepted by the series' creators, published and listed as canon events.

3) Interactive Role-Playing Games
The role-playing craze came into popularity decades before the Internet became popular, but most role-playing aficionados credit the Internet with reinvigorating and transforming the hobby. Small groups of players with paper and pencils have been largely replaced by online groups using various techniques to role-play with others.

Some duplicate the traditional experience using email and Internet forums, but others play in a variety of online communities that replicate fighting, communicating and trading with others. The role-playing genre is one of the most popular, and profitable, forms of video gaming, and the community continues to reach into demographics for which it held little appeal in the early days.

4) Content Creation
There are a number of hobbies that have been completely transformed by the Internet. Photographer has been a popular hobby since cameras were invented, but social media platforms and the low costs associated with digital photographer have increased the hobby's popularity dramatically. Likewise, artists have long been toiling away at their crafts for thousands of years, but the Internet has allowed the formation of communities dedicated to facilitating the sharing of artists' creations. Digital images have opened entirely new branches of art, and some hobbyists are even collaborating with other to create 3-D movies.

Carl Hooper is an IT specialist and guest author at http://www.mastersinit.org, a site with information on top-rated masters in IT degree programs online.