Internet Use

How did the internet begin? In the 1950’s the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, known as ARPANET, created the the first network of computers to communicate with each other. It was a collaborative effort between many people, however Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn are credited with developing the communication protocols that allow computers to be able to communicate with each other. It wasn’t until 1991 that the web was created by Tim Berners-Lee who developed the first web browser with the help of Robert Cailliau. It wasn’t the same web browser we are familiar with today as it was only able to display text. Two years later, the Mosaic browser was born and added another dimension allowing users to view text and graphics.

Over the years as the internet became more advanced, it allowed users to communicate in many different ways. Social media sites such as MySpace allowed users to create a profile and invite people to connect with them. Facebook and Twitter are now two of the most widely used platforms of social media where users can share photos as well as share details of their daily lives and give their opinions on just about anything.

Another way for people to communicate over the internet is through the use of email. Email allows users to send messages in a more private manner. We are also able to send files through email to co-workers or friends and family. You can access your email through an email client installed on your device, which allows you to view messages while offline, or through a web browser using web based email that you can access on any device that is connected to the internet.

Wiki’s are online documents that are created by multiple users with the ability to be edited by several users without having to email them back and forth. Users can review the document and make changes. This is a great tool for collaborative projects that require the input of many people working on the same project.

Blogs are one way for people to express themselves through an online journal giving them a chance to share experiences, projects, ideas on cooking, saving money and any topic that interests them. Although blogs are mainly text, they also allow us to share photos and video with those that visit them.

If you aren’t a reader you can listen to podcasts. Podcasts are audio or video files allowing us to listen to books or radio and news shows. Podcasts can be downloaded to your device so you can listen to them anywhere. Unlike podcasts, webcasts allow us to experience audio and video live as it is happening.

Many of us are now able to view streaming media through providers such as Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon’s Prime video. Streaming services allow its content to be viewed immediately as it is being delivered without the need to download it to our devices. Spotify and Prime Music allows us to stream our favorite music.

Conducting business transactions online is big business and is known as e-commerce. When we buy something online from Walmart or Amazon we are conducting a type of e-commerce known as business to consumer. Other online or e-commerce transactions take place between businesses and also consumer to consumer transactions which are conducted through sites like eBay. Using your mobile phone or tablet to conduct online transactions is known as m-commerce. Some examples of m-commerce you may be familiar with would be Samsung Pay or Apple Pay. You may have went to a concert or sporting event and used a mobile ticket to enter the venue, this is also a form m-commerce. Technology continually finds new means to conduct business and communicate with our friends and family as well as collaborate with co-workers and keeps us connected in so many ways. The internet has changed the world and I can’t wait to see what it will bring next!