Since the beginning of the internet era and its rapid development in the developed countries, the world witnessed the impact of the world wide web and its influence in a tremendous scale. Gradually and steadily, our day-to-day lives were revolutionized by technological advances in the virtual world. The last decade saw a giant leap in digitization of technology and the use of internet in the field of information sharing, social media, doing business and learning to name a few.
A Brief History of the Internet
The origin and evolution of internet is believed to have happened during 1950s. Although, the internet wasn’t invented on one day, the concept of “Network of Networks” or “Galactic Networks” was introduced by J.C.R. Licklider of MIT in August 1962. His vision of computers communicating with each other and accessing data from different locations were further researched and developed into the idea of ARPANET by other researchers. The ARPANET is believed to be the precursor and foundation to today’s internet which was developed under the direction of the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency in 1967. It was an early packet-switching network and implemented the first TCP/IP protocol suite.
A Day in Life Without Internet
The influence of internet and its technologies have become an inevitable part of our daily life that it feels impossible to spend a normal day disconnected from the virtual world. Access to internet no longer require sitting in front of a computer; portable mobile devices with internet connectivity and internet hotspots at public locations makes us even more conveniently dependent on the internet. It wouldn’t be surprising to be frustrated to spend a day without internet connectivity. More than anything, the business market demands digital network connectivity on a 24 hour basis which has lead to some serious competition among internet service providers. I have noticed that internet in my area has become more affordable and services more professional and streamlined.
A decade ago the concept of online shopping sounded scary more than fascinating; however, the e-commerce industry has grown leaps and bounds and in an unimaginably creative way. The competition among the retail industries has been the highest ever since to cater to the best customer experience in the most customizable way. Fashion is never out of demand. Customers are never short of products at the click of a button with quicker delivery times. The leading e-Commerce marketplaces compete by their large selection of products from small to middle vendors, best return policies and most satisfiable customer service. Digital banking has only accelerated and supported online shopping in the most convenient way.
It may only have been in the last decade that the mobile phone communication revolution have been overturned by internet communication with emails, messengers and social media services. Social media connectivity changed the way we presented ourselves and connected to others socially due to their advanced features and frequent updates at a competitive rate. The sharing of multimedia files such as photos and videos through social media accounts the credit for its popularity. Some of the pioneers in social media were leading IT giants Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook followed by many others. It wasn’t long after that apps took over these services in the most convenient way. The digital world and its users witnessed an explosion of apps blooming everyday and for every need free of cost or with a specific fee.
If social media is a place for casual connectivity with friends, family, acquaintances and even business , a vast percentage of the population turn to personal relationship/dating sites for casual or serious relationship goals. Personal dating apps spring up in every nook and corner and seems to be on demand for people seeking out some fun or in search of life partners.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the human population is a curious species and the internet would have contributed in a larger scale in informing or educating it users. A person with internet access would turn to a search engine first for information before any other source. The unaccountable volume of information on the internet platform with blogs, encyclopedia, governmental sites, reputed health websites, banking has only made life easier for people and it continues to do so. However, it is easier for young minds or even normal people to get caught up by misrepresented data or be influenced by predators. After all, the internet is not the safest place for everything for everyone.
Pinstripe Magazine Staff
Online Men’s Lifestyle Magazine on Gear, Grooming, Girls, Gadgets
