The internet has been around for close to four decades and has changed life as we know it. To those that were born after the turn of the new millennium, it can be hard to imagine life without the internet. You will go to the internet to look for information and buy products. There are some things about the internet you might not be aware of or will come as a surprise. Here are some of the things you didn’t know about the internet.
Permission Innovation
One of the most innovative things about the internet is the way it has enabled permission to innovation. The whole foundation of the internet was that there was to be no central ownership or control. Those that envisioned the concept were all about freedom of expression. The fundamental principles have been the bedrock of the unprecedented success of the internet as we know today.
There is a Difference Between the Web and Internet
The two terms are often used interchangeably yet they mean different things. It should also be noted that Google is a search engine and not the internet. You can think of the web as different applications that you use on a daily basis. Their collective functioning is what could be referred to as the internet. The web is an integral element but is one of many applications that run on the internet.
Stresses the Importance of Having a Free and Open Network
Not a lot of people know but the internet was created by the government and runs on open-source software. No one can claim to own the internet. This is a fact that Fortune 500 companies seem to forget on a regular basis. As we’ve already mentioned, the internet is a playground for permissionless innovation. It is no wonder that a Harvard undergrad was able to form Facebook in a dorm room.
Not Everything that is Built on the Internet is Free or Open
Even though the internet is open source, what you’re likely to get there might not be free. There are people who started with a noble course because the web was free and open. There are companies and individuals that have made fortunes from exploiting the opportunities that have been made possible because of the internet.
The Web is not Static
The web that is currently in use today is different from the one that was available 20 years ago. The evolution has been ferocious because of the data that is produced on a daily basis. There are different blogging platforms. It is estimated that there are more than 600 million websites. People use search engines to look up information. For companies that want to make sense out of the data, scraping can be challenging. There are web scraping API solutions that make it easy to crawl millions of web pages effortlessly.
Now Dominated by Corporations
It might appear that the web is dominated by corporations as the top 100 websites are owned by Fortune 500 companies. As a company that is growing, you might find it hard to compete when power seems to be concentrated in the hands of a few.
The Web Has Become a Memory for the World
What do you do when you want to know about what happened during the Civil War? You will go on the internet and you’re likely to get thousands of pages on the subject. There is information on just about any topic under the sun. The web can be seen as a memory bank for the world and future generations will have it easy when looking for information. This was not possible just 20 years ago.
The Web is an Example of the Power of Networking
The “hypertext” is the principle behind the functioning of the web. It is easy to interlink web pages. The interconnection is what makes information access a reality. Search engine crawlers heavily depend on interlinking the logical presentation of information.
Unleashed Human Creativity
We’re currently witnessing the 4th industrial revolution where information is center-stage. The internet has made it possible for unleashing creativity as it makes it easy to access tools and data. You don’t have to own a publishing company in order for your voice to be heard. There is global collaboration as communication is a lot easier compared to two decades ago.
To sum it up, the internet has revolutionized the way we live. It has become an extension of our lives and it will be hard to imagine where we would be as a civilization without it.