(A brief history of the internet in layman’s terms)

We all use the internet at one point or another, in our lives. Some of us use it every day for various tasks and leisure, yet most do not know where the internet came from, who created it, or for what reason. We are all aware of the pros and cons of the internet, especially where security is concerned, but we may not know that the web was created for National Security reasons. (Tarnoff, 2016) The internet has been around for half a century now, and continues to grow even more complex, connecting countries, making it easier to communicate with people all over the world, and making the globe seem as small as a village.  The internet has had both a positive and negative impact on the global economy, social interactions, and cyber security. As we dive deeper into the millennium, one wonders what else the World Wide Web has in store for us.

So, where did the internet come from? Who invented it, and for what purpose? As mentioned earlier, the internet was invented for National Security reasons, meaning, it was invented specifically for military use. In 1962, J.C.R. Licklider from MIT, was the First Head of the Computer Research program at DARPA. DARPA, standing for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is an agency which researches and creates technologies for National Security. (DARPA, 2021) Just like Martin Luther King Junior, Licklider had a dream, but his dream was that one day two devices, in this case computers, would be able to communicate with each other.  Licklider managed to convince his successors that his dream was valid and important. DARPA at the time was known as Arpa and had been generously funded by the United States’ Defense Department, to create a secure mode of communication which could not be infiltrated by the enemy. In 1969, after collaboration from some of Licklider’s successors and many other experts from all over the world, the first host computer was connected at UCLA. One month later, a host-to-host message was sent from UCLA to the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). By the end of 1969, four host computers were communicating, bringing about the birth of the internet. The public was not aware of these developments until 1972, when the first public demonstration of the new technology was revealed at the International Computer Communication Conference (ICCC). (Barry M. Leiner, 1997) Since the invention of the internet about a half a century ago, we have seen it develop from just a military communication tool, into a worldwide communication instrument used for both business and leisure. It is difficult to imagine our society without the internet now, and the thought of going back to what we call the dark ages would send most people into a panic. Now that you know where the internet originated from, how do you feel about the internet and its current use?

The internet sometimes gets a bad reputation, but just like everything else, the internet is just a tool, and those at fault, are the ones who use it to do evil. Over the last five decades, the internet has evolved into a real web, interconnecting us and our devices, making it easier to communicate regardless of global location, and sometimes even being used as a tool for bringing about political, social, and economic change. The first mode of communication which came from the internet was electronic mail, or what we now call Email.  Compared to other current modes of communication, email is more private. Other forms of communication via the web, are messenger applications, like Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. These applications are convenient because they are free. In my case for instance, I live in the United States, but communicate with my family in Kenya using Facebook Messenger, because I do not have to pay outlandish amounts of money on a landline phone, like I used to, twenty years ago. I remember a time when I would have to buy a phone card, which usually costed about five dollars to talk for only twenty minutes. It was even worse if you used your house phone to call international. Even today, calling international on a cellphone can generate a $400 bill. Calling on Facebook messenger only requires that you have internet access, and a Facebook account. Other than person-to-person modes of communication, there are also public forms of communication, which allow an author to express their thoughts or knowledge to the world. Wikis are interesting sites which allow any user to input, edit, delete, or revise information on certain topics. A blog on the other hand is owned by the author and used as a tool by the author to express views, opinions, and knowledge. Podcasts and Webcasts on the other hand, deal with audio and video. A podcast can be a series of audio files based on a certain subject or topic, by a particular author or speaker. These audio files can be downloaded to your device and listened to at your own leisure. While podcasts are in audio format, a webcast is in video and audio, allowing the viewer to watch and listen to an event simultaneously. (Taisey, 2019) When one can watch the event live in real time, it is referred to as streaming. Gaming experts have been known to stream their game play on sites like YouTube and Twitch, live for their fans to spectate. Many of these players have become household names because of attracting a large streaming audience.

In addition to being a major tool of communication and information, the internet has also become a business tool. With the emergence of e-commerce and m-commerce, people can shop and buy just about anything they like online. M-commerce is just the mobile version of e-commerce, which most find convenient. Companies like Amazon have gained their success due to e-commerce, with millions of people preferring to shop online, as opposed to driving to the store. Investopedia, a popular business information site, points out that there are four aspects of e-commerce. Business to business, business to consumer, consumer to consumer, and consumer to business. (Bloomenthal, 2020) The most impressive development to come out of e-commerce is the consumer-to-consumer transactions. With sites like Facebook Marketplace where one can get rid of items that they no longer need, while others find the items they need at a cheaper price than buying at a store. The prices on a consumer-to-consumer site tend to be fair because the items are usually used. There are pictures posted, and sellers are encouraged to be honest about the condition of the items, so that the buyer knows exactly what they are getting. If the price is matched correctly to the condition of the item, then one could sell anything on these sites.

Although there are definite cons to the internet, it may be fair to say that the pros far outweigh them. The internet poses many security risks, and has been blamed for lack of human contact and relationships, due to excess time spent looking at a screen. This however, is not the fault of the internet, but merely a result of individual lack of proper time management. When properly studied, one can see how the internet may have a positive effect on relationships, the economy, and society at large if utilized correctly. With the many avenues of communication now available due to the internet, the world has become smaller, as it has become easier to contact friends and family from any corner of the world. E-commerce has impacted the global economy positively as people spend money online, not restricting their purchases to just their local stores. Information is also readily available, making the ordinary person more knowledgeable. Fighting for human rights has become more feasible, as all it takes is an online campaign reaching millions worldwide. On the home front, life has become more comfortable for some, due to the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), a new technology where devices are interconnected. This connectivity of devices has many functions, like keeping the home more efficient, keeping the traffic flowing easily, and informing the public of weather changes to be aware of. As technology and the internet continues to grow, current research into Artificial intelligence (Ai), is beginning to catch the attention of the public eye. We all await eagerly for new developments, speculating as to whether in the future, cars will be flying, and robots will have our jobs. We will leave that discussion for another day.

References

Barry M. Leiner, V. G. (1997). Brief History of the Internet. Retrieved from Internet Society: https://www.internetsociety.org/internet/history-internet/brief-history-internet/

Bloomenthal, A. (2020, November 24). Electronic Commerce (e-commerce). Retrieved from Investopedia: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/ecommerce.asp

DARPA. (n.d.). About DARPA. Retrieved from DARPA: https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/about-darpa

Taisey, J. (2019, September 26). What’s the Difference Between a Webcast and a Podcast? Retrieved from WorkCast: https://info.workcast.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-a-webcast-and-a-podcast

Tarnoff, B. (2016, July 15). How The Internet was invented. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/15/how-the-internet-was-invented-1976-arpa-kahn-cerf

*All images are stock free and acquired from Canva.com

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