A few weeks ago, I was lying on my couch when I decided I wanted to install an amplifier to give my new door speakers (which I installed myself) a little extra "umph" in my 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser. Before that, I had no experience in electrical wiring and car modifications.

I ran into a bit of a roadblock when I realized that I definitely could not afford having an amplifier professionally installed. This got me thinking, so I started to do a little research. I ended up spending the whole night on the couch researching how to do the proper wiring, how to take plastic pieces off my car to run the wiring to the amplifier without it being visible, how to wire the speakers — all that.

I enjoy a wide range of music, mostly bass-heavy songs such as electronic dance music, alternative, and rap. Said music sounds better on higher volumes with more bass than my non-amplified speakers could provide. On average, I drive 300 to 400 miles each week. Because I drive so much, I wanted big sound to fill my car, enhance my listening experience, and most important, I wanted to feel the music.

My first thought was there was no way I could accomplish the installation on my own. Then a metaphorical high-beam illuminated my creative side of my mind: I realized that I might be able to do this on my own with a little assistance from the internet. Sure enough, there were plenty of guides, tutorials and videos available to teach me what I needed to know.

Every night until my parts came in, I would do some research on the steps required to install my amplifier. By the second night of research, I felt certain that the online instructions were sufficient for me to be able to complete this project that at the beginning seemed impossible.

For four nights, I worked on my car for a few hours at a time to make sure that I properly followed the online instructions and tutorial videos. This was no easy feat. I had to work at many awkward angles that strained my back while running all the wiring. I had to splice in a turn-on switch behind my receiver, drill a hole in my firewall to run the power cable from the battery to under my seat, run signal wire to both speakers, and run signal wire from the receiver. The wiring was the longest part of the whole project as it required measuring, splicing, and snaking with a fiberglass rod through tight spots.

I did not want the amp to be seen, so I installed it under my driver-side seat. To install the amp under my seat I had to run wires through the floor to keep them hidden. What a sense of accomplishment I felt — not to mention pride. The sonic payoff was a true audiophilic experience that I had never heard in my car before.

From my understanding, the internet began picking up popularity and growing its user base a little more than two decades ago. Thanks to the great success of the internet, it had never been easier to access information, free information at that. People no longer had to buy instruction manuals from catalogs. Consumers/customers no longer had to rely upon professionals to do specialized tasks. Day-to-day life was exponentially simplified in many aspects. People now had access to so much information with just a few keystrokes.

Fast-forward a few years to the new millennium, with its advent of online start-ups such as retailers and businesses. By the mid-2000s resourceful sites and YouTube took center stage, laying the foundation for what the internet is today.

Who knows what the next rapid technological advancement will be, but one thing for sure is that the internet defined the first decade and a half of the 2000s.

Challenge yourself the next time you think about hiring someone to do your electrical work or fix your lawnmower by doing a little research.

You are much more capable as a do-it-yourselfer than you might imagine.

Christian Peeples, 18, lives in Clermont. He is a third-generation UCF student.

Writers 30 and younger are invited to try their hand at becoming a "New Voice" to explore topics from pop culture and music to politics and faith. Email essays of about 640 words to newvoices@orlando sentinel.com^[1]. Include a high-resolution JPEG photo of yourself.