When two adjacent computers began to exchange data on September 2, 1969 in a UCLA lab, no one saw it as a giant step for humankind. The Internet started as a university project and was nurtured by visionary professionals and enthusiastic amateurs as an open access network for exchanging information and knowledge. A tremendous combination of idealism, creativity, and hard work, along with game-changing inventions in computing, has made the Internet what it is today. The ability to connect easily and communicate extensively and ‘the rewards of unanticipated opportunities’ are some of the benefits hundreds of millions of people around the world reap from this revolution. According to internetworldstats.com, a handy data source, the estimated number of Net users worldwide is 1.67 billion or about 25 per cent of the global population; this represents a growth of 360 per cent over 2000. The Future of Internet III, a survey of internet leaders and analysts conducted by Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (2008), shows that there is much more technological innovation to come. This will advance the architecture and use of the Internet, with the mobile device becoming the primary device for online access. While there is no reason to doubt the basis of this optimism, the Internet faces several challenges today.
Jonathan Zittrain, an Internet guru, sees the ‘counter-revolutionary’ drive from ‘generativity’ — the greatest gift of the Internet — to a centrally controlled ‘appliancized network’ and ‘tethered’ appliances as the greatest concern. He believes the generative Internet can be preserved for everybody through new technologies and changed behaviour. The lack of ‘net neutrality’ is a barrier to healthy growth. The increasing presence of proprietary networks, the unwillingness of service providers to allow the free flow of ‘various forms of data traffic,’ and stiff pricing tend to discourage both use and innovation. The other side of the coin is that the generative Internet has perpetuated the ‘cult of the amateur,’ which tends to undermine its credibility. The way forward is not to hand over the World Wide Web to `experts’ — but to foster the collaborative nature of the vast creative space. The Internet faces serious security threats with juvenile behaviour, unethical hacking, and spamming far from overcome. Technology can help make the Internet a safer place but it must not become the basis for authoritarian controls. Developing countries, including India, are a long way from empowering their people through the Internet. Improved and accessible bandwidth and cheaper hardware hold the key to bringing the benefits of the Internet to the unconnected millions. The next generation Internet Protocol, which will provide a wider base for creating web addresses and facilitate Internet growth, can make a real difference to this situation — provided bold and progressive policies are pursued.
Keywords: Internet, computers, UCLA, Jonathan Zittrain, bandwidth, World Wide Web, Internet Protocol
Comments:
Democratization of knowledge is what internet has led us to,One of the most important victories for the internet is that all the information available and all the knowledge involved is actually a tremendous expression of the freedom of thought.yes its been just 40 yrs since its inception but look what have we acheived through ineternet.all these years all these facts regarding our ancient civilizations and dynasties had to be documented in some manner or had to be spread from mouth to mouth.so if one has a doubt regarding a certain piece of information,one has to read through these documents and get himself clarified,but what the internet will do for the future generations is that ,there is going to be unlimited access to useful knowledge where one can question and debate over a particular topic ,which would only result in the improvization and betterment of the society where one has the freedom to think,one has the freedom to express.As it is said "history is written by winners"...maybe this saying needs some modification.....
Long live the Internet...........
Truly!Internet has come a long way,it has become an indispensable part of communication and lifestyle indeed.Oflate ,it has emerged as an important tool to make governance efficient,to disseminate knowledge,to communicate with persons etc over longer distances and many more.Its a boon when used for constructive and positive purposes but a curse if used in negative manner.There is no second opinion that internet has become a sort of lethal weapon in hands of unscrupulous ,anti-social elements.Internet is a platform ,an efficient and effective one indeed, where we can make a society better at the same time the perverted mindsets of many can use it to render the same society collapsed.
Internet has been really a boon in terms of as a means of sharing information among people. What could have been obtained by reading books,meeting people you name it,all these could be done in a mouse click sitting in your home. Internet has created a web of connectivity.
As rightly pointed towards the end, India has to go a long way with regard to the Internet service offerings in rural areas. Even much developed city areas also face less connectivity. This can only be averted by more affirmative laws and technological innovation. Internet can be a boon in education sector in rural areas provided it is handled correctly. With the pace that Internet is evolving, the framework we maintain to provide the service also needs consistent re-examination and evolution.
Truly! and thanks to the masterminds for which it is been even made to earn money from home during this ongoing recession.
As an electronic tool of information dissemination, the Internet has its own merits and demerits. We should try to utilise its merits. Otherwise the so-called device will be a curse for developing countries like India. Our adolescents and student community are widely misusing the potentiality of the Internet.
Purpose of internet was to share knowledge. When it faced challenge of finding knowledge, it came up with the idea of Search Engine. When it faced challenge of speed of delivery of knowledge, it come up with the idea of email. When it faced challenge of expressing knowledge to outside world, it came up with the idea of blogging. When it faced challenge of people being reserved, it came up with the idea of Orkut and facebook. When it faced challenge of people's inability to communicate or express, it came up with the idea of youtube or video sharing. When it faced challenge of breaking boundaries of different territories, it came up with the idea of Mapping the world. It certainly helped in bringing people of different parts of the world much closer to what we anticipated at the time of Air travel as innovation, on almost free of cost. Now challenge left is how to bring political accountability on the basis of free knowledge available on internet. Even though everyone is using free knowledge available on it, but nobody recognizes when it comes to putting it on the paper. Hope, it will break that barrier too and build a universal government of ideal democracy.