Such an incredible number of people rely on the internet for so much these days. For many children of the late 80s and early 90s, it would be near impossible to imagine going through a day without checking their MySpace page or doing research for projects via the web. Yet to children born in the last few years, today’s internet will appear archaic compared to the inevitable changes coming in the next decade alone.
With the advent of blogs, the gradual movement of journalism to a more online format, and the emergence of popular user-fueled sites such as YouTube, the web is already going through several changes which could eventually lead the web to be near-unrecognizable to future users. The easiest way to understand these changes is to begin by looking at the past.
The Past
The origins of the internet can be found in the earlier years of the 60s. In 1960, J.C.R. Licklider published a paper titled “Man Computer Symbiosis.” The paper dealt with the concept that computers should be developed so as to increase communication options between people and computers across the country. After publishing his work, Licklider was contacted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, to work with a group of scientists on creating a network based on the paper.
In 1969, the project came to its first major breakthrough with the creation of a network of communicating computers called ARPANET. ARPANET, or the Advanced Projects Research Agency Network was the seed that eventually grew into what is now the internet. At the time, however, APRANET was strictly limited to use by the Department of Defense and as such the public had no access to it until the 90s.
Above: Creator of Hypertext, Tim Berners-lee
That all changed in 1991 when M.I.T. graduate Tim Berners-lee created the hypertext code which we use today. Hypertext allowed browser users to see documents and images on web pages without having to first download the assets to their computers. As a result, the internet was sped up immensely and, through the steady progression of new and better browsers, more and more non-computer savvy users could navigate the web with ease.
Since the mid 90s, the number of people using the web has grown exponentially. As of 1996, 45 million people were using the internet. Today that number has grown to well-over 800 million persons across the globe.
The Present
Within two decades of the internet’s emergence into the public eye, the world has evolved to embrace and incorporate it. Advertisers have slowly been decreasing the amount of ads they put on television and used that marketing money to move into the online arena. The daily lives of many people now include using the web before leaving the house alongside of basic functions such as getting dressed and eating breakfast.
While the convenience of the internet is certainly apparent to everyone who has ever had to sent an email or retrieved files from a home computer in a pinch, what the future holds is still unknown. However, there are many opinions as to what awaits web-users in the upcoming decade.
The Future
A serious matter regarding the future of the World Wide Web is that of net neutrality. To those who are not familiar with net neutrality, it is the idea that those who use the internet are guaranteed the same freedoms and services to navigate the web as everyone else. However, as of recently there have been serious concerns regarding the safety of this ideal.
Above: A brief video explaining net neutrality
Websites such as Save the Internet have made it their goal to raise awareness of net neutrality and prevent major corporations from limiting access to the web. The public outcry for the safety of net neutrality has been high all over the web. A search for “net neutrality” on YouTube yields several hundred results while searches in Google provide pages and pages of papers arguing for further government regulation of the internet safety program.
Yet while many are concerned currently over web censorship, there are those who wish to look at the future of the World Wide Web not with paranoia, but rather eager optimism.
Numerous people in the press have speculated that the printed word will gradually transition into being all focused on the web. According to these people, by 2020 the greater bulk of newspapers will have consolidated all their resources into catering to the online community. While it is uncertain whether this is a feasible fate for printed publications, there are certainly major publications such as the BBC which place high emphasis on their online site. The website for the BBC News allows users to read articles in over 33 languages ranging from English to Arabic.
At the same time, there are journalists who claim that the future of their enterprise lies not with anchormen and local editors, but rather within the blogosphere itself. Sites such as the Huffington Post, which takes a more subjective approach towards the news, employs professional bloggers and well-known celebrities as its staff. In
Through sites such as Digg.com, users are able to submit popular news stories which they find interesting. Soon more users read the same story and submit a "dig," which leads to the story gaining more prominence on the Digg.com official website. This cycle of viewing and recommending keeps news that users find interesting at the forefront of discussion for possibly weeks beyond its original post. In this way articles often lost in other formats such as printed word have lasting appeal to the masses.
However, there are some issues with Digg.com. Since the users decide what stories belong on the main page for visitors to read, all too often the main page can be dominated by stories which are goofy and irrelevant to real world topics. For example, last year one of the most recommended stories on the website involved not politics, but crustaceans. Or rather, the exercise methods they practice:
The video "Shrimp on a Treadmill," seen above, remained the top recommended story on Digg.com for several weeks. While stories regarding the Bush administration and foreign policy dotted the page on a daily basis, the video reigned as champion for almost a month.
For now irreverent joke stories and amusing photoshops may be found on the most visited pages online, this does not mean that true journalistic content is not popular. On top blog sites, articles from major publications such as the Washington Post and the New York Times are often ample and replied with comments from devoted readers. Regulars of Digg.com often recommend interesting articles from sites like CNN.com and BBC News. Through this, stories often regulated to one page suddenly show up referenced and linked-to on dozens upon dozens of personal and public blog sites all over the web.
While it is still far too early to know what the future really holds for the internet, it is easy to see the path it is on now and make an educated guess. With a significantly increased emphasis on user-controlled content sites and interaction with the digital media in the last few years alone, the web will continue to draw in more people. Everyday polls are hosted on important news sites and the media welcomes their comments on major news articles. And because of the mass appeal and influence of the World Wide Web, their opinions will be heard louder than ever.
