Steve Largent Essay, Research Paper

WHY YOU NEED THE INTERNET

INTRODUCTION

Anyone alive today has surely heard of the Internet. Kids growing up today have been in contact with it since they started school, and adults are now becoming Internet junkies. The Internet is continuously changing, growing, and improving. It is now an information and communication tool you cannot afford to ignore. This paper will help you understand why you should know about it.

The Internet is a loose amalgam of thousands of computer networks reaching millions of people all over the world (LaQuey. 1994. p.82). Although its original purpose was to provide researchers with access to expensive resources, the Internet has shown the speed and effectiveness in communications that it has surpassed its original purpose.

Today the Internet is being used by nearly everyone for a variety of purposes, from communicating with one another to accessing services and resources. You can hardly pick up a newspaper or magazine without reading about how the Internet is playing a part in someone’s life.

THE BEGINNING

The Internet was created in 1969 with the birth of ARPANET, an experimental project of the U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (LaQuey. 1994. p. 93). Its design was to explore experimental technologies that would link researchers with remote resources like large computer systems and databases. The success of ARPANET helped create many other networking inventions. These have grown into an ever expanding, complex system comprising tens of millions of people and tens of thousands of networks (Hudson. 1997. p. 297).

The Internet does not just connect you and another computer, it connects you and all other Internet connected computers. It allows people in different countries to communicate without ever seeing each other, and information is available twenty-four hours a day from thousands of places.

SUCCESS OF THE INTERNET

It is hard to imagine how the Internet has grown so fast and been so successful without some individual or organization managing the project. Yet no one has a monopoly on access to or use of the Internet. One of the reasons the Internet is so successful is the commitment of its developers to producing “open” standards. The specifications that computers need to communicate are publicly and freely available, published so that everyone can obtain them.

The Internet does not have a powerful supercomputer controlling its operation by feeding it commands. Rather, all the networks and computers act together in the exchange of information and communication. The technology that makes it happen is known as internetworking, which enables the networks and computers to communicate.

COMMUNICATION

What distinguishes the Internet from traditional communication technologies is the level of interaction and the speed at which users can broadcast their messages. No other source gives every user the capability to communicate instantly with thousands of people.

Everyone has an opinion, and all opinions seem to end up on the Internet. The Internet acts as a sort of consumer report, with people offering up views, experiences, recommendations, and warnings. You can use the Internet to ask for help from thousands of people, to make an announcement, or to advertise and event or a new service.

INFORMATION

There is a constantly growing number of valuable information resources available on the Internet. These include free and public archives, library catalogs, government services, and commercial databases. It is not good enough anymore to turn on the news on your television and wait for the latest weather forecast. On the Internet, you can check the latest weather and order goods and services online when you need them. You can browse online real-estate guides looking for a house thousands of miles away instead of going to a realtor first. The Internet can help you make intelligent decisions.

VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES

The Internet excels in bringing people closer together. Since geography is no longer a problem, people from different countries and varied backgrounds are able to join together by common interests and projects. The Internet is responsible for an untold number of associations between people and groups (Cox. 2000.). This kind of interaction on such a wide scale without a computer network is impossible.

The concept of digital colonies and online civilizations is fairly new, but it is quickly becoming a way of life for many Internet users. In this hectic world building communities of interest within a school, neighborhood, or city can be difficult. The problems with this include a lack of involvement, geography, and inflexible schedules. The Internet transcends these barriers (Hill. 1998.). It is a lot easier to join an ongoing discussion with people who share a common interest when you are available, no matter where you are or what time of day it is.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NETWORKS

Trying to understand the differences between the Internet and other online services can be quite confusing. It is especially difficult if you have had experience with one but not the others. There are literally thousands of different networks that you can access. What makes the Internet different from all the others? Companies like Prodigy and CompuServe are not really networks, they are commercial providers of information services. To get access, you call up the company, provide your credit card number, and set up an account. You can then use your computer and modem to dial a local or 800 number and get access to the service. Customer support is available and the pricing structure is well defined. Each of these services is owned, controlled, and run by a business. Support, quality, and pricing for Internet connections and services are not regulated or defined as a whole. There are many ways to get access from local, national, and international Internet providers.

This flexibility has advantages and disadvantages. In most cases you are not limited to one solution. If you do not like one Internet provider’s service, you can easily get access to the Internet another way. This can be frustrating, though, because there are so many choices in providers that sometimes it is difficult to make a decision.

BUSINESS USE

There are many reasons why the business community should be connected to the Internet. The Internet is providing a great environment in which to do business. There are many stories of small and big businesses that have leveraged their relatively small investment in connection costs to search the Internet for information, keep in contact with customers, or provide online services and operate virtual storefronts (Dalton. 1999.). Businesses that claim they listen to their customer’s needs can now do so on the Internet by creating a web site and asking their customers to fill out a simple survey. The business can then use their responses to make changes or improvements in the way they do business.

Because so many organizations are linked, with more being added every day, connecting to the Internet is a very attractive alternative to building a private network. Many companies justify joining the Internet to be more accessible to customers, and to have the ability to consult with experts around the world. Just providing Internet connections, consulting, and training is a big business. A large number of Internet providers are competing to connect businesses and schools to the Internet.

CONCLUSION

Hopefully this paper has given you enough reasons on why to use the Internet. You can get information on virtually anything you can think of, easily, on the Internet. It enables you to talk and share ideas, feelings, and information with other Internet users. You can even order your groceries over the Internet and have them delivered right to your door. You could probably get everything you need to survive on the Internet and never have to leave your house again, but what fun would that be?

Bibliography

Hopefully this paper has given you enough reasons on why to use the Internet. You can get information on virtually anything you can think of, easily, on the Internet. It enables you to talk and share ideas, feelings, and information with other Internet users. You can even order your groceries over the Internet and have them delivered right to your door. You could probably get everything you need to survive on the Internet and never have to leave your house again, but what fun would that be?