The Internet Essay Research Paper The InternetImagine

The Internet Essay, Research Paper

The Internet

Imagine a place where people interact in business situations, shop, play

video games, do research, or study and get tutoring. Now imagine that there are

no office buildings, no shopping centers, no arcades, no libraries, and no

schools. These places all exist in a location called the Internet – “an

anarchic eyetem (to use an oxymoron) of public and private computer networks

that span the globe.” (Clark 3). This technological advance not only benefits

people of the present, but also brings forth future innovations. People use the

Internet for many purposes, yet there are three popular reasons. First, there

is the sending and receiving of messages through the electronic mail. Second,

there are discussion groups with a wide range of topics in which people can join.

Finally, people are free to browse into vast collection of resources (or

databases) of the World Wide Web.

Electronic mail (e-mail) brings a unique perception into the way of

communication. Although, it did not replace the traditional means of

communication such as letters and telephone calls, it has created a new method

of transmitting information in a more efficient way. E-mail saves time between

the interval of sending and receiving a message. Sending an e-mail message

halfway around the world can arrive at its destination within a minute or two.

In comparison, a letter can take from a few days to a couple of weeks, according

to the distance it travels. Furthermore, e-mail is inexpensive. The cost of

connection to the Internet is relatively cheaper than that of cable television.

Evidently e-mail is both time-saving and cost-effective.

Discussion groups are a great way to interact with others in the world

and to expand the knowledge of one’s horizon. The response is instantaneuos

just like the telephone except it is non-verbal (typed). Discussion groups are

on-line services that make use of non-verbal communication in the interest of

the user. Services can range from tutor sessions to chat-lines where people

just want to mingle. Communication through the Internet is a way of meeting new

people. There is no racial judgement in meeting on the Internet because

physical appearance is not perceived. However, attitude and personal

characteristics are evident from the style in which a person talks (or types).

This kind of communicaion helps narrow the gap between people and cultural

differences. Communicating in discussion groups sometimes lead to even one-to-

one conversations that soon enough become a link to friendship. Connections are

being made when people meet each other; therefore, information on interest Web

sites can be passed on.

The World Wide Web (WWW) holds information that answers questions to the

user. The main purpose of the WWW is to give a variety of information ranging

from literature to world geography. WWW contains Web sites that are created by

government agencies and institutions to business companies and individuals. WWW

carries text, graphics, and sound to catch the interest of people browsing

through the different Web sites. These Web sites are being added daily, while

the existing sites are being revised to compensate for more updated information

and interests. This growth of information will soon become a world library of

topics on anything that one can imagine. A person using the Internet for one

day encounters more information than a person reading in the library for a whole

year. It is the convenience of the Internet that allows a person to go through

an enormous amoung of information in a short period of time. This information

community can pull the minds’ of users closer together, thus making the world

smaller.

The Internet is full of people who are requesting and giving out

information to the ones who are interested, since “information wants to be

free.” – Stewart Brand (Van der Leun 25). Hypothetically, if everyone is

connected to at least one other person on the Internet, eventually everyone

everyone will meet each other. In other words, the world will gradually evolve

into a “global village” which can be defined as “the world, especially of the

late 1900’s, thought of as a village, a condition arising from shrinking

distance by instantaneous world-wide electronic communication.” (Nault 907).

Thus, the Internet is a wonderful tool and medium in which people can interact

with the information society. Afterall, information is like the building blocks

of technological advancement.