I don't remember an actual point in time where it was suddenly, "Hey, there is a new thing called the internet!" So there was never an initial thought about it. The internet kind of happened over a period of time for most of us. If you were using a personal computer in the early 80s (TRS80 or Commodore) then you weren't really connected to anything other than passing disks face to face amongst friends. That was the first network.

It wasn't until mid 80s when I first connected online and that was generally through some online game service (CompuServe) or BBS message boards and eventually AOL. However, it didn't really register as a new thing, at that point, and didn't leave a lasting impression of something wonderful due to the monetary expense and speed of existing connections. It was a novelty really at that time and only useful to me at the time for communicating with long distance relationships.

There were periods during these transitions where I did not have access to computers and honestly, I didn't really miss it or anything about the internet. It was probably late 90s before the internet became important to me. So, I imagine my thoughts about the internet are the same as most young people.

However, I can say that as a kid without the internet things seemed simpler, safer, and more fun. I mean, if you needed something to do before the internet all you had to do was go outside and round up some friends. We'd play sports, ride bikes or skateboards, explore the neighborhood, read comics, play D&D, or just sit around and bullshit until the sun went down. My parents never worried about where I was or what I was doing. I could ride my bike across town and follow a canal miles out into the country without worry.