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What is the Internet? Definition, History, Usability, Strengths & Weaknesses

What is the Internet? Definition, History, Usability, Strengths & Weaknesses


What is the Internet? Definition, History, Usability, Strengths & Weaknesses

What is the internet?

GLOBAL DIGITAL TIMES | The internet is a computer network that is used worldwide by millions of users for communication purposes. This is a network system, website, or web page that is used every day for communication across very long distances and is used on various computer/gadget platforms.

History of the Internet


The Internet was first used by the US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) in 1969 for the purpose of communicating between them in the event of an emergency war situation. Eventually, the scientific community gradually used the ARPANet for their research work. But still, the internet is not used in day to day among the common people because a standard way of communication is not there. In the 1970s, Bob Kahn published his research on ARPA, which later developed into the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or Internet Protocol (IP), the two main protocols of the International Internet Protocol Suite. In 1983, scientists officially founded TCP/IP, and the birthday of the internet was on January 1, 1983. In 1986, The US National Science Federation (NSF) establishes interconnectivity among several universities in the United States. Thus, the United States made the emergence of computer architectures such as the Domain Name System (DNS) and TCP/IP official. At the same time, along with the United States, Australia also started to adopt the new Internet system. In 1990 the first internet, the ARPANET, was officially decommissioned. Several personal connections and commercial entities emerged throughout the United States, removing restrictions on Internet use among the general public and for commercial purposes. Australia is also starting to adopt the new Internet system. In 1990 the first internet, the ARPANET, was officially decommissioned. Several personal connections and commercial entities emerged throughout the United States, removing restrictions on Internet use among the general public and for commercial purposes. Australia is also starting to adopt the new Internet system. In 1990 the first internet, the ARPANET, was officially decommissioned. Several personal connections and commercial entities emerged throughout the United States, removing restrictions on Internet use among the general public and for commercial purposes.

Who invented the WWW?


Tim Berners-Lee invented the WWW (World Wide Web) in 1990 at his research laboratory at CERN, Switzerland. The World Wide Web is convenient to use because it can connect any information system to hypertext documents, very easily and can be accessed from any node in a computer network system. Then in the mid-1990s the Wave Division Multiplexing system (WDM) appeared. Along with that, the invention of fiber optic cables brought a revolutionary impact on internet technology worldwide. With this invention, instant communication via electronic mail, instant messaging, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), telephone calls, and video calls became possible at the start of the 21st century. In addition, fiber optic cables also help to increase the transfer of the amount of data at higher speeds, thereby reducing the communication time.

Internet usability


The internet has many uses/benefits in everyday life, and some of them are as follows:
  • Online Ordering – People book taxis, train tickets and flights via the internet, making their lives much easier. In addition, people can order food, groceries and other household items online, including medicines, saving them time and avoiding queuing and wasting their precious time buying goods.
  • Cashless Transactions – Most countries around the world promote cashless transactions with digital payment systems, which allow people to carry less cash, thereby reducing the chances of theft and robbery.
  • Education – The education system now more or less depends on the internet, and most of the schools around the world have taken education online due to the Corona pandemic since 2020. Students can also find any topic related to education on the internet, which helps them study more efficiently and without wasting time.
  • Online Banking and Commerce – With the advent of online or internet banking, people can now sit at home and make transactions which helps them not to stand in long queues anymore and save time. In addition, you can avoid queues for transactions at ATMs and avoid fraudulent transactions, as well as ATM pins that can be changed conveniently at home.
  • Research – The research work undertaken by PHD students can benefit them as they do not have to spend time sitting in the library to find documents and papers that are suitable for their work. After all, the internet helps them see results instantly.
  • Social Networking – Social Networking is one of the most important methods of communication in the 21st century, and without faster internet and broadband services it would not be possible. Nowadays people can find every news on social media with just one click from every person around the world.
  • Navigation – With the advancement of the internet navigation systems have become an important part of our daily lives. After going to a new place, we use our mobile phones to find our way back through the new site with the help of navigation software like Google Maps and others.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet


The advantages of the internet are as follows:
  • Enhanced Communication – The Internet has made communication between long distances faster, helping people communicate with friends and family around the world.
  • E-Commerce – With the advent of the internet, e-commerce has become prevalent worldwide. People nowadays prefer online shopping instead of going to the market in buying something because it saves time and effort. In addition, there are already many options available on the internet to choose from.
  • Information Galore – People all over the world can find a lot of information with the internet and with the help of many search engines. Information about anything and anything can be found on the internet without going through books and libraries in looking for information.

The disadvantages of the internet are as follows:
  • Addictive Nature – Internet addiction is widespread, especially among children of the age group of 12-18 years, as it is a form of entertainment that is easy for everyone and thus adversely affects the mental growth of addicted students.
  • Access to False Information – People can easily be misled by wrong or fake data easily found on the internet.
  • Personal Information Theft – Personal information can easily leak over the internet, leading to bank accounts and hacking of other users' information.

The world today cannot function fully without the internet.