3.0 The Internet

3.1 What is it and where did it come from?
Basically, the Internet is a group of thousands of networks and millions of computers around the world that can all work together and share information. It is the global association of computers that facilitates the exchange of information data. The commonly used reference of calling it the "Information Superhighway" has become a cliche, but it does help to describe the idea behind the Internet. If you consider a highway system and its connections, this is somewhat representative of the connectivity of the Internet.

Although no one person or group created the Internet, an early version had its beginnings with the United States Defence Department's Advanced Research Project. The agency (APRA) built an experimental computer network called APRAnet. It was a way of tying military researchers and universities in the country together. The APRAnet grew and adapted to advancing technology and soon other organizations were connected to it, like the US National Science Foundation. As the network grew it became apparent that the technology was expanding toward having a civilian component. It split in two, the military kept its part and the US National Science Foundation became responsible for organizing the public aspect.

At first it functioned like APRAnet had, it was an information transfer tool. The introduction of commercial component, however, is what drove the Internet to its current state (Gralla 1997: 6). The Internet has evolved into a vast network of businesses, individuals, researchers, governments, and universities. It can connect virtually anyone to its global community.

The terms "Web" and "Internet" are often used synonymously, however, they are two very different things. "Internet" refers to the overall system, while things like the World Wide Web and email are made possible via the Internet. The Internet is like the whole highway system while email and the Web are the actual roads.

Several tools fall beneath the "net" of the Internet. They are, in general, the Web, email, newsgroups, and IRC (Internet Relay Chat). The Web is what allows connected computers to surf a wealth of information through "websites" which are placed there by groups and individuals. Email is a form of message that can be sent to desired recipients almost instantaneously through the Internet connection. Newsgroups are public discussion forums covering various topics. And finally, IRC is a component which provides places where groups can get "together" and chat in realtime about any topic. These four elements make up the Internet.

The Web
The Web began in March 1989. A group of European Scientists were looking for a way to communicate their research ideas to each other. The group was known as CERN, or Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucleaire, and because of their member's scattered locations, the Web offered a fast and effective way to share research. The Web gained widespread public use when in the early 1990's when graphical user interfaces (GUIs) were implemented (Muir 1998). This made the Web more user-friendly and entertaining.

The Web is made up of individual webpages. Collectively these pages make up websites. Webpages are created using a language called HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language. HTML tells the Web browser how the page should look in terms of layout, fonts, graphics, etc. A Web browser is the tool through which webpages are viewed. Common Web browsers are NetScape and Microsoft Explorer. The browser is like the "television" through which the page can be viewed.

All of these webpages are connected through links. This is the defining feature of the Web (Finnie 1997). While surfing the Web, one click of the mouse can take the user to another webpage, a graphic, an audio file, or a video file.

Email
Email is often compared to regular mail. There are messages, addresses, carriers and mailboxes. However, regular postal mail is now often referred to as "snail mail" because compared to email it is significantly slower.

Email transfers messages from one person to another in small pieces of data. They travel to their destination where they are put back together in their original message form. The message travels faster because it is not sent as one large data file. Usually, the entire process of sending a message to another person takes less than a minute.

If the email address of the desired recipient is not known, the Web offers methods to find it. Like an online address book, many web "people-finder" programs can search out the person and give their email address as well as other information.

As well as the individual message, listservers are another feature of email. This is a collection of email users who have signed up or "subscribed" to a particular list. When a message is sent to the list, everyone on the list receives it. Listservers are usually set up so that people with similar interests can subscribe and discuss them.

Newsgroups
Newsgroups are similar to email listservers in that they involve discussion about a chosen topic. Newsgroups, however are publicly posted discussion forums. The messages are presented in a list or thread. The thread shows the original message, the responses to the message, and the responses to the responses, so that an entire conversation (or just the parts you're interested in) can be followed.

Newsgroups are accessed through a newsreader software, such as Forté's Free Agent, or through a newsreader that's a separate part of a Web browser package, Microsoft's Outlook Express.

The Usenet is the world's largest collection of public newsgroups. The newsgroups are organized through a set of abbreviated names, with the first set of letters of a newsgroup's name indicating its primary subject, such as rec (recreation), soc (society), or comp (computers). Because a lengthy approvals process was required to create one of these newsgroups, the alt newsgroup hierarchy was created.

Newsgroups may be considered primitive when compared to some of the emerging Internet technology but they are an effective public discussion tool. They are well organized into their various topics and overall are easier to navigate and search than the Web.

Listservers and newsgroups offer a chance for people with similar interests or concerns to discuss them without geographical barriers. They bring together people who otherwise would probably not communicate to discuss given topics.

Internet Relay Chat
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) provides hundreds of chat channels or rooms for groups to join and discuss a variety of subjects in realtime. This means there is no delay as with email. IRC is like an online telephone that can be accessed by many people. Users can join an existing room or create their own. Much like "surfing" the Web, a user can surf a wealth of different rooms to find discussions that interest them. Some IRC rooms are structured and devoted to a defined subject while others are casual places with the topic of discussion unspecified.

3.2 Who is using it and for what?
The Internet and email first appeared publicly in the 1970's and have become household names today. Terms like "World Wide Web" or "dot com" were once unknown. Today these terms can be heard in many daily conversations. Currently there is an estimated 304.36 million connected to the Internet (This number varies among researchers from 150 million to over 350 million). Canada and the US account for nearly half of that figure with 136.86 million users combined (Nua Internet Surveys May 2000). In 1995, just 5 years earlier, this estimate was at 30 million.

In November 1997, Internet.com reported that there are 4.53 million people using the World Wide Web in Canada. This report covers a time period from September 1996 to 1997. Men's usage had increased 70% from the year prior to this report, while women's usage increased by 182%. Usage doubled among Canadians between the ages old 18 to 34 and tripled among those users over the age of 45. This number is for people accessing the Web one or more times each week (Headcount.com May 2000).

Statistics show that users of the Internet are typically male, university educated and affluent (see Appendix A) and they're using the Internet primarily for personal information, work and education. In 1998, typical users spent an average of 10-20 hours a week on the Internet and spent a total of roughly 5 billion dollars online. (Nua Internet Surveys March 2000)

Gralla calls the Internet the "purest form of electronic democracy" in that no one person or organization has complete control over its use or content. Truly, the Internet is an information source with few boundaries. There are few topics not touched on by some website on the Web. In the beginning the Internet was a mode of information transfer. While that remains a large part of its purpose today, there are many other activities taking place.

The most extensive of these activities today is e-commerce (Gralla 1997: 7). Everyone is selling everything on the World Wide Web. Just about any product can be found for sale. From large corporations to small businesses, companies are getting their merchandise onto websites and into people's homes. Even people who don't have defined businesses are on the Web. The Web makes everyone a published artist or advertising entrepreneur. And with the rise of sites like Ebay.com, an online auction site, people from all over the world can sell practically anything to anyone. Some call e-commerce a glorified catalogue while others insist it is the sole reason for the Internet's widespread use.

Many websites also offer a chance to give feedback on the information they present through email and guest books which can be filled out online. They offer an opportunity to become interactive with the information presented. This can take the form of bulletin boards, discussion email listservers and online surveys. Here, the public can go one step beyond access to information and give a response to what is observed online. They also offer the chance to discuss issues and concerns with other members of the public or other organizations.

On the Internet, there are basically three levels if interactiveness or "publicness". Firstly, access to information or presenting your own information to others in the form of a website. Secondly, the opportunity to give feedback in the form of a survey, guest book or bulletin board, and thirdly, when realtime discussion technology offers the chance to discuss with others in realtime.

3.3 What are its strengths and weaknesses?

"The affordances offered by the new electronic access to information databases provide some of the most powerful possibilities for the future technologies along with some of the most dangerous." (Norman 1993: 181)

When it comes to the pluses and minuses of the Internet and interesting argument appears. It seems that the Internet's greatest asset is also often considered its greatest downfall: access to information.

Dynamic Nature
The Internet can be modified and changed simply and quickly. It lends itself well to constantly changing information types and activities. In most cases, the most up-to-date and accurate information is the most valuable (such as in the cases of weather data and business data). The Internet can offer up-to-the-minute information as well as complete archives.

Access
The Internet puts no limits or restrictions on who can gain or give information online. Anyone anywhere with a computer and a connection can get as well as give information on the Internet. Wireless connections (predicted for the near future) will bring even more freedom to the Internet.

Privacy
A major concern with the widespread use of the Internet is privacy. Because use is so widespread, individuals, companies and agencies who want a lot of information about a lot of people are finding ways to gain background information on users of the Internet. This information is then used to their advantage and usually to the disadvantage of its owner.

Security
With the increase of e-commerce, issues of financial security are also raised as people use credit card and other account information on the Web while making purchases. There is also the issue of email security. Email travels via the Internet which is a highly accessible source. The concern that outside parties may view private email messages is always present.

Then there are computer viruses. The Internet has opened a whole new way for cyber-criminals to attack computer networks through viruses. New viruses are designed to enter individual computers and spread themselves through email by resending itself to everyone listed on that computer's address book. The vast number of people connected to the Internet has increased the amount of people a virus can reach.

Accuracy
Since the Internet can be used freely without restriction by anyone who is able to connect to it, there is a concern about where all of the information stored, particularly on the Web, comes from.

When information is gathered, its source is as equally important as the information itself. Information is only as good as its source. Anyone retrieving information from the Web, email or IRC must be aware of its questionable accuracy and credibility.

When using electronic correspondence, such as email, it is difficult to know for certain if the person you are communicating with is genuinely who they claim to be and if the information they are presenting is accurate. This can be an inconvenience or in more drastic situations, a great danger. However, on the other side of that argument is the advantage of lower levels of discrimination based on appearances. The Internet prevents users from making judgments on others based on physical characteristics.

Another concern with the rise of Internet use is, that instead of being used as a supplementary tool, researchers and professionals will begin to use it as an alternative to traditional research and study methods.

Overall, however, the Internet presents a boundless source of information with practically unlimited access. It can turn a difficult or even impossible task into one that can be accomplished in a very short period of time (Norman 1993: 182). If one is aware of the dangers as well as the possibilities, the Internet can be a productive, efficient, and useful tool.

3.4 What is its future?

"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927. (Bad Technology Predictions March 2000)

Any prediction can be controversial, especially predictions in the area of technology. It is obvious from the above statement that even those directly involved in a field of technology can be off in predicting its future advances and changes.

The technology of the Internet is no different. It is difficult to predict the future of the Internet. Just a few years ago technologists and business people were predicting that although it would be successful, they could not foresee people using the Internet extensively in their homes. Similar predictions were made concerning early computers and their uses.

"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp.,1977. (Bad Technology Predictions March 2000)

There is no shortage of scholars and scientists offering predictions on the future of communications technology. Business people and social researchers in the realm of computer technology and the Internet are making forecasts. Their views and projections are as diverse as their backgrounds.

"Instead of having one computer that does everything very badly, we will see lots of little ones that do one thing very well. We won't even think of them as computers" Elizabeth Weise, USA Today reporter. (Computing: Predictions, Best Guesses, and Wish Lists March 2000)

Taking Weise's prediction a step further, Norman (1998) foresees computers becoming entirely invisible, wireless and interactive. By this he means society will be able to widely use computers for various tasks and not know they are using a computer. He feels computers are difficult-to-use, intimidating, and clumsy machines that do many things badly. The solution to the computer's flaws is not to further educate people on how to use them, but to change computers so that they interact with people in a more natural way, so that it is obvious how to use them immediately. He foresees computers being broken down into several smaller "information appliances". These appliances would do one or two things very well. They would be used in a way that is straightforward and they would be able to communicate with each other freely. The television, the telephone, the fax machine; all would be connected to each other and the Internet.

"Right now there are hundreds of chips in our homes and cars. The next step is to make them all aware of each other." Jesse Berst, ZD Anchor Desk analyst. (Computing: Predictions, Best Guesses, and Wish Lists March 2000)

Nardi and O'Day have similar predictions (1999). They predict a future of human centred technologies. Technological advancement will no longer be based on the ability of science but on the needs of humans. Devices will become easier to use and repair.

Howard Rheingold sees a future of virtual communities. People will become more connected and more bonded to others through the creation of online communities where people of similar interest become a community instead of community being based entirely on geographic location.

Many anticipate the widespread accessibility of the Internet. "Internet Kiosks" will be present on every street. Connecting to the World Wide Web will be as simple as using a pay phone. Internet connection infrastructure such as cable access will be standard in residential planning and building (Warson 1995).

More drastic predictions include "Internet implants" where computers will become so small that they will implanted into the human body and can be used internally to find needed information.

"Imagine that you could understand any language, remember every joke, solve any equation, get the latest news, balance your checkbook, communicate with others, and have near-instant access to any book ever published, without ever having to leave the privacy of yourself." Bran Ferren, Walt Disney Imagineering. (Computing: Predictions, Best Guesses, and Wish Lists March 2000)

The problem of technology prediction rarely lies in the predicting of the actual technological advance. The area that prophets are usually wrong about is the technology's impact on society (Norman 1995). Ken Olson made his 1977 statement because at that time computers were used for scientific computing. A household use was not obvious. It was not apparent then the role personal computers would play in daily life because there was no practical use to the average person for the large, bulky, complex computers of that time. It wasn't until the introduction of the personal computer to the masses in 1984 that the impact of the technology on the general public became clear. It was the personal computer that provided the infrastructure for the "information superhighway". As many homes became equipped with a personal computer, the Internet was easily implemented into everyday activities.

Moreover, technologists and scientists are able to accurately predict the advancements a particular technology will make because they are the ones aware of how capable the science behind advancing the technology. The impact that the particular technology will have on society that is so difficult to predict accurately because there are so many factors to consider when relating technology to society; like economics, culture, education, politics, etc.

When predicting the pure scientific future of a technology there is but one consideration: is it possible? And we have learned from the past that just about anything is possible. The question should be: is it useful to society? Would we really want an Internet implant? Probably not. People tend to have a very "science fiction" view of technology and its future possibilities. While an Internet implant may be entirely possible, it is doubted that it will be desired. As of today, no telephone, radio, nor television implant exists in widespread use around the world even though those technologies had great impacts on society and the way we communicate with one another.

Generally, predictions are centred around accessibility, communicability, and user-friendliness. Many futurists agree that the personal computer is on its way to being replaced by easier to use, compact, logical devices that will begin to bridge the gap between the technological elite and the rest of the world thereby beginning to eliminate the computer literacy issue.

The future holds many changes for the Internet and related technologies. Great improvements will be made in the realm of our access to connections, communication among technologies, and our ability to use the Internet easily.

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