I was a lost and confused high schooler. The typical angry teenager with poor grades and ZERO direction in life. I had no idea what to do next after finishing high school. Yahoo Answers changed that.
When it went offline on May 4, 2021, I felt like I had lost a dear friend and mentor. Because that’s exactly what Yahoo Answers was when I discovered it at the age of 14 in 2005. The image below describes how it helped me find my purpose in life.
An excerpt from my HealthyPlace article: An Unusual Place Helped Me Find Purpose as a Depressed Teen
Its disappearance is a warning for all of us hooked on Instagram, Twitter, etc. But I digress.
For some, it was a place to troll with abandon, for some a place for sex education. For me, it was the place where I figured out what I wanted to do with my life: give actionable advice to people.
It’s one of the reasons why I’m a writer today. It’s also one of the reasons why I’m studying to be a counselor. I’m in the career of my choice today largely due to it. Privileged students have access to career/guidance counselors. Well, at least I had Yahoo Answers.
Today, the platform is completely offline. No archive exists, there are no signs that it ever existed. But it will forever live on in my heart.
Yahoo! Answers was a weird place overall. Nice to know it gave you value though