Internet

"We live in an age of scientific triumph. Science has greatly enlarged human knowledge" (Bishop237) and communication. Despite the recent hype, the Internet is not a new phenomenon. Its roots lie in a collection of computers that were linked together in the 1970s to form the US Department of Defense's communications systems. It is a technology that would be invented today if it hadn't been invented in the past because of the world need for high tecnology.

Millions of people worldwide would be using the Internet to share information, make new associations and communicate. Individuals and businesses, from students and journalists, to consultants, programmers and corporate giants are all harnessing the power of the Internet. For many people the Internet would become integral to their operations. The internet would allow users to send and receive data: messages, notes, letters, documents, pictures, video, sound- just about any form of communication, as effortlessly as making a phone call. It is easy to understand why the Internet would become the corporate communications medium. Using the mouse on your computer, would be an uncomplicated point-and-click task whose function would give you acess to send electronic mail for sending and receiving data, and file transfer for copying files from one computer to another. Telnet services allow you to establish connections with systems on the other side of the world as if they were just next door. The Internet is one of the newest forms of technology that the world would be lost without.

Quite literally, the Internet would be, a network of networks. It would be comprised of ten thousands of interconnected networks spanning the globe. This flood of information is a beautiful thing and it would open the minds of society. With the explosion of the World Wide Web, anyone could publish his or her ideas to the world."Digital technology would open up new worlds of potentail,...for information products and services(Samuelson 315)." Before, in order to be heard one would have to go through publishers who were willing to invest in his ideas to get something put into print. With the arrival of the Internet, anyone who has something to say can be heard by the world. By letting everyone speak their mind, this opens up all new ways of thinking to anyone who is willing to listen. With the invention of the Internet people are "...able to call up news articles, short stories, photographs,motion pictures,sound recordings and other information any time,day or night,almost anywhere in the world (Samuelson 315)."

One of the "great advantages"of the Internet and a key source of its potienal (Samuelson 316)" would be businesses. Discovering the Internet as the most powerful and cost effective tool in communication, the Net then would provides a faster, more efficient way to benefit colleagues, customers, vendors and business partners as a resource, which would give companies strategic advantages by providing information into essential business asset. Businesses making the transition would prosper; however those that do not would most certainly suffer the consequences.

However, the most exciting part of the Internet would be its multimedia and hypertext capabilities. The Web could provides information in many different formats. Text would be one way to transmit information, but the Web could also presents information in sound bites, such as music, voice, or special effects. Graphics may be diplayed as photographs, drawings, cartoons, diagrams, tables, or other artwork, but they also may be moving, such as animation video.

Of major importance is the fact that the Internet would be a source of education. Online education would introduces unprecedented options for teaching, learning, and knowledge building. Today access to a microcomputer, modem, telephone line, and communication program would offers learners and teachers the possibility of interactions that transcended the boundaries of time and space. The Net would provide new social and intellectual interaction in educational institutions with computer-mediated communication for educational interactions. This would make room for many school based networks that link students to discuss, share and examine specific subjects such as environmental concerns, science, local and global issues, or to enhance written and communication skills.

The Internet would change society a relatively passive publishing medium to a truly interactive application deployment platform. It would clearly continue to grow at a fast pace as more and more businesses and individuals discover its power. It would become a highly effective tool for communicating,