by
Mark Ollig
We
know the Internet consists of physical hardware like routers, data servers,
computers, and cabling.
And
of course, this hardware is interconnected and communicates with each other
using the programs contained within the software code stored inside databases.
Actually,
it’s incredible how it all works, when one stops to think about it.
And,
has it really been 20 years since we started surfing the Web using a Mosaic
browser?
We’re
regularly using the Internet for email, work, accessing websites, blogging,
participating in chat room discussions, and interacting within our social
networks.
The
Internet also allows us a virtual presence to see and hear the activity
occurring in just about any place in the world, via the real-time cameras
connected to it.
Some
days I feel we are becoming “embedded” inside the Internet.
The
Internet now provides everyone with access to practically the sum total of
human knowledge from almost anywhere on the planet.
In
1910, providing global access to all human knowledge was the dream of Paul
Otlet.
Otlet
had diligently labored on creating a depository for all of the world’s
information. The staggering amount of paper documentation collected was
archived in his “Mundaneum.”
He
came to understand the ultimate answer for creating true global accessibility
to this depository of knowledge and information would require replacing paper
documentation with some other viewable storage medium, along with a method to
easily access it from anywhere in the world.
Years
ago, before the Web became popular on the Internet, I started a local online
dial-up Computerized Bulletin Board System (CBBS).
A
local BBS was a “virtual community,” a term cyberspace writer Howard Rheingold
coined.
The
early 1990s was an exciting and promising time as we looked to the future, and
wondered; what could be accomplished using computers within an online virtual
community?
Today,
most BBS traffic has moved onto the ever-expanding Internet; its tentacles are
reaching into almost every facet of our daily lives and it shows no sign of
slowing down.
“This
thing is still evolving,” you will recall Vinton Cerf saying about the Internet
in last week’s column.
The
question I am asking: “What is the Internet evolving into?”
For
one thing, the Internet has become the gathering place for people to engage in
social dialogue and chat regarding local, state, national and world issues,
along with politics, current events, and breaking news stories. Personal issues
also receive a lot of discussion.
I
do find it frustrating and even a bit disheartening, that on many US news
websites and chat rooms, instead of constructive discussions regarding an
issue, many user comments end up becoming vehement personal or political
attacks directed towards those expressing an opinion, or making a statement.
We
have a name for these unruly online folks: “trolls.”
According
to the Urban Dictionary, a troll is: “One who posts a deliberately provocative
message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum
disruption and argument.”
However,
on a positive note, yours truly notices when reading the local citizen comments
made on various foreign websites (such as the BBC), the remarks addressing a
story rarely contain personal or political attacks directed against the
individuals expressing their opinions.
Instead,
these online users engage in a healthy, constructive, and respectful discussion
with one another – which I, for one, find very refreshing, and hope will be
seen in more online chats.
“We
are rapidly evolving a global, immersive, invisible, ambient, computing
environment with a proliferation of sensors, cameras, software and databases,”
says Imagining the Internet Center, based at Elon University, in Elon, NC.
Janna
Quitney Anderson, Director of Imagining the Internet Center, raises a multitude
of concerns regarding the future of the Internet, including: free expression,
piracy, security, trust, economic development, human relationships, and how
human rights will evolve.
According
to Anderson, we need to be asking and answering questions in order to develop
how our future with the Internet will be.
As
for my thoughts, the Internet must remain a free and equally accessible venue
where everyone has an opportunity to openly express their thoughts and
opinions.
The
Internet needs to continue to grow as a global virtual community, where all of
us can contribute to it, whether by participating in citizen journalism,
discussing local community issues in chat rooms, starting our own personal
website or blog, uploading life event videos, or recording political or
personal podcast’s.
The
Internet needs to freely evolve into a place where everyone can engage in a
mutually beneficial and respectful exchange of dialogue and ideas with the
people within their own local community, and with those around the world.
The
Internet has evolved into an essential resource for fostering society’s
continued learning, the sharing of knowledge, and for getting our news.
We
are using the Internet more for civic involvement in our local, state, and
federal government.
It
also continues to evolve as a venue for the growth of global entrepreneurial
business and commerce.
And
of course, we can look for the Internet to grow as a place for experiencing the
enjoyment of its entertainment offerings.
The
Imagining the Internet Center can be reached using http://tinyurl.com/eloninternet.
