Advancements in the humanities:Internet - Essay Example

? The internet A result of visionary thinking in early 1960s to allow computers share data on research and growth in military and scientific life, the internet has growingly made its presence felt. It is not just playing a vital role in education and research but is serving as a boost to country’s socio economic, political and cultural development. The internet has become high significance advancement (Hillstrom, 2005, p. 179). The importance humans have attached to the internet has enabled them to see technological gaps between developing and industrialized nations of the world. The uneven adoption of current ICT will extend the division those who are information poor and information rich. The internet has undeniably changed the lives-the way people shop, work, communicate, meet people and search for information. Two billion worldwide are currently connected, and this number keeps growing by around 200 million each year. In two decades, the internet has significantly transformed from a network of geeks and researchers to a day to day reality for people around the world. The internet has embraced everyone: governments, entrepreneurs and individuals. The Web has created new waves of business and radical innovations for using, accessing and delivering goods and services for everyone. It has entirely transformed its users through innovative ways and changed how people engage the world today (Scott Windeatt, 2000, p. 106). Events that Led to the Advancement The early internet was mostly used by engineers, scientists, librarians and computer experts and was unfriendly to other users. There were no office, home or personal computers those days, and any person who wanted to use it had to learn to use a highly complicated system. The internet was initially limited to research, government use and education since it was funded by the government. Commercial uses were forbidden unless they served the goals of education and research. These regulations continued until early 90’s, when independently owned commercial networks started expanding, and it became possible to divert traffic among different commercial sites across the country without using government financed internet backbone (Hillstrom, 2005, p. 164). Before the internet, communications were limited, physical libraries were the only places for research and information, and stores were the only places for purchasing goods and services. The radical changes that led to internet growth were information access, sales and communication. In the past, fax and post mail were the only ways of sending documents. Faxes were limited since messages only included two – dimensional graphics and text, and post mail also faced the same problem, as well as the long time it took to send a mail. With the internet, text graphics documents, videos, audios, and interactive objects can now easily be transmitted, with just the click of a button. This has provided a platform for companies to develop into new markets (William Miller, 2006, p. 479). There was a need for better information access due to the increased globalization. In the past, finding information meant one had to physically walk to the local libraries, and they would be limited by which resources and books the library carried. With budget constraints, libraries could not carry the best sources for everyone. Today, one can access information on the internet concerning any topic through book reviews, academic journals and online encyclopedias. This has led colleges to be able to offer degrees online, where the students are not even required to step the classrooms. Lecture notes, slides, and relevant reading materials are always available on the internet (Scott Windeatt, 2000, p. 120). In the past, computer messaging was unreliable, there was no infrastructure to send and receive high-speed electronic texts and people were struggling to invent digital networking. The internet was, therefore, demanded to solve all those problems. An initial motivation for ARPANET and the internet was resource sharing-allowing users on packet radio networks to access the time sharing systems of the ARPANET, which was a big wide area network created by the US Defense Project Agency. It served as a tester for emerging networking technologies, linking research centers and universities. Connecting the two was more economical than duplicating these expensive computers. However, while transferring files and remote login have been vital, electronic mail has had significant effects of the inventions from that time period. E mail provided a more efficient way on how people communicated with one another, and changed the nature of collaborating (William Miller, 2006, p. 502). Effects of the advancements Though mostly misunderstood by people, the internet can simply be defined as a worldwide system of organized computer networks interconnected, and which use standard internet protocol (TCP/IP) to serve millions of people globally. It is a network among networks consisting of millions of business, public, private, academic and government networks, of both global to local scope. They are connected by a wide layout of wireless, electronic and optical technologies. The internet contains a wide range of services and information, like the inter- linked hypertext documents that belongs to World Wide Web, and the capability to back up electronic mail (William Miller, 2006, p. 512). People use ‘internet’ to imply going online. Internet is simply computer network. It can be viewed much like a telephone network that criss-cross the world. The internet is a gathering of computers, linked together, majorly by the telephone network. The connection between these computers is a mixture of fiber optic cables, wireless radio connections, old copper cables and satellite links. The job of the internet is to simply transfer computerized information, normally referred to as data, from one place to another, and all the machines constituting the internet treat all information the same way. Just like the postal service which passes letters from one place to another, the internet is not concerned on where information comes from, where it is taken, and why it is needed, it just conveys information (Emanuele Giovannetti, 2003, p. 206). The internet has changed significantly in the last two decades since its existence. It was born in the era of time-sharing but has pulled through to the era of client-server, network computer, and personal computers. It was established before Local Area Network existed, but has tolerated that new technology, together with recent ATM and frame switched services. The internet along with affordable communications and computing in portable form is enabling a new paradigm of nomadic communications and computing. This evolution shall bring internet telephone and further out internet television. It has permeated sophisticated forms cost recovery and pricing (Dreyfus, 2009, p. 113). Although computer interaction is still young, it has changed the world, bridging barriers of distance and time, and allowing people to work and share information together day or night. Evolution on the information superhighway has made available content grow quickly, making it easier to get information. There is almost every kind of information from how is to advanced medical research information. New applications have provided secure business transactions and opportunities for commerce. The advancement has increased information speed, allowing direct transfer of entertainment as demanded. There is also information on local and world news, and weather. Young children are also advantaged since there are several websites created to help them in learning. The internet has also created convenience; someone can pay bills and conduct several transactions without having to leave their houses (Emanuele Giovannetti, 2003, p. 206). Several internet users have utilized the internet for entertainment. Teenagers have used the internet as an entertainment source. They stream live shows, listen to online radios, play exciting games and download several movies and music. Women on their part, can read magazines and horoscopes, and watch latest fashion reviews. Single lonely people can now log into social websites that assist in connecting people and find their marriage partners, the internet has even increased marriages (Dreyfus, 2009, p. 76). The internet includes IP technology, email, ICQ, chat rooms, and web cameras. This has facilitated its widespread usage for communication: including private contacts, business communications, and sending recommendation letters and resumes. In the business world, it has enabled firms to outsource since business can be run worldwide from one office. People can buy goods and services at any location; businesses can also make online payments, foreign exchange transactions, stock trading and e-banking (Dreyfus, 2009, p. 97). On the negative side, the internet has been used to access pornography, which has corroded the society. It has been used as a conning tool where people have lost a lot of money, hackers have paralyzed activities of most organizations, and most teenagers and adults who are internet addicts have psychological dependence on the net, hence no time for family and other social duties (Barry Wellman, 2008, p. 483). Evolution of the Advancement The internet has evolved in several ways. There has been increased bandwidth, which has increased internet speeds, and we can now watch videos concerning every topic much faster. Online video has also been brought in, resulting from the increased bandwidth, becoming popular for entertaining or showcasing a business product or service. Sites like You tube have done several advancements in video capture. Introduction of online shopping and eCommerce has enabled several business transactions and changed the way business operates. There has also been online classifieds, making it easier for people to buy or sell pre-owned goods and look for jobs online (Barry Wellman, 2008, p. 494). In the past one had to walk around to find job openings and could not easily post an ad, but online classified sites have made the world smaller. There has been the emergence of search sites like Yahoo and Google which have made it possible in indexing a large amount of information. They are always improving their services and keep internet users up to date with information (Emanuele Giovannetti, 2003, p. 139). Social networking sites like Twitter, Face book, MySpace, and LinkedIn have changed people’s lifestyles and made the world smaller. These sites have enabled reunion with old friends; people can send electronic cards during birthdays, and employers can have a look at their employee’s page to get more information concerning them. In addition to the social sites, blogs have changed how people communicate. Blogs enable people to share their ideas and show their personality, they enable one to reach a wider audience. Smart phones have been introduced; they include, cameras, calendar, Email and also serve as phones. These devices have risen due to the increased internet demand for portable devices and have enabled people to perform several operations from their portable devices (Barry Wellman, 2008, p. 508). There has also been online collaboration, where experts share their ideas without leaving their offices, and the attendees do not have to travel. This has increased the speed for conducting business, by eliminating travel costs. Wireless has developed rapidly in the recent years, and travelers always search for ‘Wi-Fi’ to enable them connect to the internet while away from home or their office. Another area is the rapid rise towards a universal wireless access, making almost every place a ‘hot spot’. The internet has turned ubiquitous, increasingly accessible and faster to non technical communities. Collaborative services and social networks have grown much, enabling people to share interests and communicate in several ways. Social sites have enabled people of diverse ages to rapidly share their interests (Dreyfus, 2009, p. 128). The internet is similar to a giant network of computers, which is a source of information, entertainment and communication. The internet links millions of educational institutions, businesses, government agencies and individuals all over the world. It has enabled people to shop online, find news or weather reports, exchange files, check stock prices and even exchange ideas through collaboration. Its information capacity is unlimited since it consists of data from computers across the world. In the last decade alone, the internet has expanded from a dream to the most advanced reality. One can find almost anything they want, and although it has a few bad points, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Millions of people across the globe are using the internet to share information and communicate. Businesses, individuals, students and corporate giants are all harnessing the internet’s power. Indeed, the internet has truly been a remarkable discovery in mans inventions and has changed the way people work, shop, and search for information. References Barry Wellman, C. H. (2008). The Internet in Everyday Life. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Dreyfus, H. L. (2009). On the Internet. New York: Taylor & Francis. Emanuele Giovannetti, M. K. (2003). The Internet Revolution: A Global Perspective. Madrid: Cambridge University Press. Hillstrom, K. (2005). The Internet revolution. Cape Town: Omnigraphics. Scott Windeatt, D. H. (2000). The Internet. New York: Oxford University Press. William Miller, R. M. (2006). Evolving Internet Reference Resources, Volume 1. New York: Routledge. Read More