what is the internet?

What is the internet? Many people think they obviously know the answer to that question, but the truth is the internet is so much more than what the average person may think. Common answers to the question of what the internet is may include the World Wide Web, Google, Yahoo, email, and many more. Although not entirely incorrect, those answers would be considered incomplete, because the before mentioned answers are simply characteristics and applications of the internet as we know it, as a whole. The World Wide Web, probably the most commonly mistaken word for the internet, is actually one of its largest developments, which helped to create the internet’s image as we know it today. The World Wide Web, more commonly known as WWW, is a “…network of interactive documents created by millions of users throughout the world…” (Adams & Clark C.1 p.19). Google and Yahoo, are common search engines and email, is electronic mail, all components of the internet, but not the actual internet itself.
The internet can best be described as a medium, a macromedium to be exact. It is to be considered macro in the context of its large size, and a medium in the sense of communication we use it as (Adams & Clark, C.2, p. 28). So large in size is the internet that we can communicate to millions of people, all over the world, with one single webpage. Our thoughts, our ideas, our opinions, and our knowledge are out there in cyberspace, for the whole world to see them. In the field of communication, mediums are immensely important. They are how we connect to one another, to an audience, and also to institutions. As stated by Kahn and Cerf (1999) “The internet is revolutionizing our society, our economy and our technological systems.” For example, when’s the last time you can remember actually stepping into a bank, or mailing in a check as a payment for a bill? Chances are, if you are up on the latest technology the internet has to offer, these everyday tedious tasks have become done in a matter of seconds, from the convenience of one’s home. We have the ability to connect with family members and friends thousands of miles apart. Soldiers away at war, when available can communicate their well being to their loved ones, via email or webcam, eliminating the anxiety of waiting weeks for a letter to come in the mail, offering comfort and easing concern. Long away have we come from the days of messengers, where communication took up to months. We can conduct international business meetings via webcam, revolutionizing time management. Precious time is a great gift the internet has given back to us. No longer must we spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to travel to another country to meet with business associates. We can multi task by writing an email, checking the weather, looking over reports and eating lunch all at the same time. Expensive, long distance telephone calls are also becoming a thing of the past, with the development, popularity and convenience of email. Technology has even come as far to where the internet is accessible on ones cellular phone, making it quite clear that the internet is an everyday necessity in our face paced world.
The internet began with the need for communication in times of crisis. In the event of a nuclear war, our country felt the need for communication, especially in regards to plan of action, was of extreme importance (Adams & Clark C.1 p.9). American scientists worked diligently to provide a form of communication that would be able to withstand anything. As the years progressed, so did the capabilities of the internet. In its early stages, being mostly available to a limited crowd of computer scientists, researchers and scholars, it was used as a way to interact with one’s colleagues (Cerf & Kahn, 1999).Throughout the years, many developments followed to bring us the internet as we know it today. According to Kahn and Cerf (1999) “…It is estimated that about 60 million host computers on the internet today serve about 200 million users in over 200 countries and territories…Also, the total number of host computers have been growing at …roughly 80% per year.”
So what exactly is the internet? The internet is this incredible macromedium that allows us as a society, as a world to be interconnected. It is communication. The internet is a time saver. The internet is convenience. The internet is comfort. The internet is knowledge at our fingertips. The internet is cost effective. The internet as a whole is without a doubt one of the fastest growing, ever evolving, necessary technologies of our time, known to man.





Adams, Clark. (Chapter 1). How did we get here? The development of a new medium.

Adams, Clarke. (Chapter 2). What is it? Characteristics of the medium.

Cerf, Kahn. (1999. December). What is the internet (And what makes it work). Retrieved September 5th, 2008, from http://www.cnri.reston.va.us/what_is_internet.html.