A life without the Internet, can you imagine it? No, me neither! So often referred to as ‘a network of networks’, the Internet completely revolutionized the communications & computer world we live in today.
The Internet is the world’s most popular computer network, originally created in the 1960’s as a way for government researchers to share information. But, as PCs were immobile at that time (laptops had not yet been invented! ), to make use of information stored in it, researchers would have to physically travel to the site of the PC to access it!
Unimaginable in this day and age! It was, in fact, the Cold War and the Soviet’s launch of their Sputnik satellite in 1957 which prompted the US Defense Department to invest in ways of developing such a communication system; one which would allow information to flow, even in the event of a nuclear attack or a war. Though it took some time to get there, the official birth of the Internet was January 1st, 1983, and it quickly went on to become a global commercial network in the 1990s, spanning the world and even reaching out to space!
Today the Internet is used by almost 5 billion people worldwide. As of February 2022, China was ranked first among countries with the most internet users at 1. 02 billion, India second with around 658 million, and the USA, third with less than a third of China’s figures, 307 million users.
What is ironic is that though China has the highest number of users, not all of the Internet is available. Many sites like Google or social media platforms, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are blocked in the country. As for India, despite having the second-largest online market in the world, 50% of people have no access to the Internet… You name it, it can pretty much be done on the Internet.
Most traditional forms of communication - telephone, radio, television, tabloids - have all been reinvented by the birth of the Internet. Internet television, email, online music, social networking, mobile applications for everything under the sun, online banking & shopping, iGaming, eCommerce, the list is endless; thanks to the Internet, it is a digital age we now live in, plus with the invention of smartphones and wifi, the Internet also became available to people on the move. Wi-fi was first released to the general public back in 1997 making internet connectivity wireless through transmitters and radio signals.
Prior to this, the Internet could only be accessed via physical land cables. Nowadays we hear users often cursing poor wifi connections as we have all come to expect a certain degree of connectivity wherever we go. Imagine how slow or weak it was when it was first introduced; it’s come a long way since the dial-up!
Right now, and for the last twenty years or so, ‘social media’ has been the buzzword on the Internet. The infinite possibilities of connecting with family, friends, ex-colleagues, even strangers over the net have changed the way we operate and communicate. The next big thing is ‘IoT’, the ‘Internet of Things’ which is often labelled as ‘smarter than the Internet’.
This is where more and more ordinary devices connect to the Internet through advanced software and sensors, and exchange data to assist in controlling their functions. For example, security systems, home appliances, and even cars; Imagine a fridge that automatically connects to the Internet to order food when you run out of items, or turn on the water heater when you’re on your way home for a hot bath. Now that is something I could definitely get used to…where do I sign up?
