The internet defined as a global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the internet protocol suite(TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices is apparently one of biggest assets to the world. From selling an article to saying “hi” to a long lost friend, almost every second activity of ours is dependent on this radical invention of late 1900s.
Although the credit of this huge invention cannot be given to a single person, we cannot also gainsay that a it was majorly Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf can be regarded as the “inventors” of this life-changing technology. Not even a century has passed but we are so dependent on it that we can’t even picture our lives without it. Be it seeing the photograph of a friend vacationing in New York or attending our online lectures, internet has influenced every walk of life.
From students to scientists, everybody is grateful to this huge invention. It was a result of dozens of hardworking programmers and engineers who worked on it and are still striving consistently to make advancements in it. Starting with the glorious idea of ‘world wireless system’ by Nickola Tesla, evolving into J.C.R. Licklider thought of ‘Intergalactic network’ , further being conceived into ‘packet switching’ did it come to midway of its journey of being known as ‘information superhighway’ when it was coined a termed APARNET. On October 29 1969, it delivered its first message “LOGIN”. However this was not fully successful as merely the first two letters were received by the Stranford computer.
It adopted TCP/IP on the first sunrise of 1983 i.e. 1st January, 1983 when it was finally called by the term by which it is popular today “networks of networks”. It single handedly connects the remotest places of the Earth. Things were levelled up when computer scientist TIM BERNERS LEE invented the world wide web(WWW). This fusion of two incredibly awesome inventions allowed even the general public to use the internet for their better.
In 1992, a group of students developed a software called MOSAIC which changed the course of the story of internet. It was the first raw version of the internet that we know today. It allowed the users to search for information using words and pictures and navigate using scrollbars and click able links. That’s when we embarked on our ever-evolving journey in this world of rapid urbanization with internet as the foundation.
Internet has been showing metamorphosis since then, blooming and evolving, successfully keeping pace with the growing needs and demands of the world. The impact of this on the lives of people is ineffable, one can go on and on about the before and after scenes of the invention. Things that took four hours to be completed, with lots of heedful alert, is now as easy as ABC. It has impacted all walks of life. All information of the world is just a click away, even the maps of almost all places available to us in a lay man fashion. It provides us with a platform to share our views and thoughts, bridging the cultural, social and even language barriers. We are finally able to connect to the larger world that is way more than what we can just see and imagine, thoughts of the wisest leaders, discoveries and debate of the most intellectual people, from English to German, we have everything available to us because of this commendable invention. From the comfort of our homes we can literally order anything and everything, anything that pleases our taste buds or anything that is the latest fashion trend as marked by a celebrity. We all are connected by the internet, like neurons in a brain, as rightly said by Stephen Hawking.
Andrew Tutt, an expert in law and author of An FDA in Algorithms said that “we are still about to enter the era of complex automation which will revolutionize the world.”
Arthur Bushkin, an IT pioneer who worked with precursors of APARNET and Verison wrote, “of course, the impact of the internet has been dramatic and largely positive. The devil is in the details and the distribution of benefits.
Eugene H. Spafford, internet pioneer and professor of computing sciences at Purdue University, founder and executive director Emiritus of the Center of Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security commented, “new uses, information sources and paradigms will improve the lives of many.
Living longer and better lives is the shining promise of digital age the roots of which is the internet. The internet has provided us with such a platform which not only acts as a seed for new ideas, inventions to be born but also a fertilizer and weed killer because through the power of this giant information can easily be obtained and filtered which prevents wastage of much time as it would otherwise require.
Internet has definitely facilitated the birth of many inventions so it will not be praiseworthy to not to call it the biggest invention in the history of mankind. It has allowed humans to celebrate themselves by saving much of their time else most of lives might be wasted in merely hunting for the information and checking its validity whereas today any and every kind of information is just a click away. We can get influenced, changed , learnt, educated, master of some skills by the help of a stranger sitting some part of the world that we aren’t even aware of, and that is probably the biggest gift. Internet has allowed to save much of our time, from online learning to online shopping we have it all. As they say, “time is money” saving of time has led people to finally schedule our lives and follow a routine that has formulated a more productive and progressive attitude and mindset in the lives of human beings. Internet has changed the way we live our lives and see it as. Internet is a boon if used in a correct fashion because it has accelerated the motto of our lives,what we strive for which is to grow and be the best version of ourselves. Period.
