The Internet has come a long way since its birth in the 70s with ARPAnet. What began as an organized controlled sphere of data has evolved into flowing and constantly adapting stream of culture and information. In chapter 3 Beniger uses the analogy of paths flowing through the Harvard campus. Like the Internet, as time passed, what was once sufficient is no longer appropriate. The web evolves as it sees fit. No one tries to change the Internet it just happens naturally.
The Internet itself doesn't change, the people who utilize it do, and with these changes new meanings come to old ideas. The Internet at its core is the same. It functions in same way, i.e. It is the home of free flowing information available to anyone with access. If you were to look at the original ARPAnet, and compare it to today's world wide web, it would be easy to say that they are unrelated and share no ties. This however is inaccurate. Rather than taking them as two separate entities, one should consider the world wide web as something which is ever-expanding.
At the core of this web is ARPAnet, because this is where it all began. As new developments emerge, such as how the united postal service utilized the net, a web of tentacles begins to unfold and expand outward in all directions. In 20 years no doubt we will be using the Internet in ways we cannot fathom today. The world wide web will probably become a tech term of the past, like ARPAnet is today. But this is not to say that whatever will emerge is not intrinsically linked to the technologies of the past.
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I agree that it internet doesn't change a certain level but I do believe it has changed. It is still a network for communication, an "Information Highway" but there have been tremendous changes to the internet. It's setups and appearance and the capabilities it offers have expanded greatly.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the downloading craze has really taken off over the past 9 or 10 years, something that the Internet was not necessarily used for at its inception.
ReplyDelete"The Internet itself doesn't change, the people who utilize it do, and with these changes new meanings come to old ideas. The Internet at its core is the same."
ReplyDeleteI really like this outlook. It's like what we discussed in class today with powerpoint and powerpoint alternatives. The way we do things isn't necessarily the right way, or the best way, but it's what everyone else is doing. The ever changing internet is morphing as more and more people break out of the box and get creative.
We need to be thankful for what ARPAnet has allowed us to create today and the ground work it laid for us today. Web 2.0 gives us a great idea of how much we change the internet and how by simply utilizing it on a daily basis betters it for everyone else.
ReplyDeletePeople do things in different ways on the Internet and on the computer itself, and to learn those shortcuts and advancements from each other, we are constantly passing on new knowledge which improves our technological lifestyle. We allow electronic culture to branch our and improve.
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose?
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