Category Archives: where it comes from

The History of the Internet: The Missing Narratives

The History of the Internet: The Missing Narratives gives the reader insight into how the internet really came about and fills in the pieces about the internet that many people really don’t focus on. I found this article to be relevant to the class because yes, we all use the internet but I doubt that many care to take the time out to see how it actually got started. It’s just of one of those things that is just there so I didn’t question it. The internet has been so good to us, don’t you think? Everything is basically right there  readily waiting for us.

In the article, the authors Schwartz and Campbell seek to inform us about the internet and that it was not just one single network that ”shaped” the internet, but it was many components. ARPANET was mentioned periodically throughout the article, although it ”launched” the internet, it was not the only component. ARPANET was the original network built by the U.S Advanced Projects Research Agency in the late 1960s(Schwartz and Campbell Vol. 28.) It’s purpose served to make it easier for people to get acsess to computers and also it was originally made for military use to improve communications(Schwartz & Campbell Vol. 28.) Who knew!? I thought that was pretty cool. The article states how in the 1960s there was a deployment of numerous defense networks, the first airline reservations, and the beginnings of the remote computer service industry (Schwartz and Campbell Vol. 28.) In the 1970s there was a development of computerized networks for banks and the rise of electronic data interchange movement, which established business to business communications, and also allowed the first online information providers(Schwartz and Campbell Vol. 28.) These helped shape the internet as well!

The authors also elaborate on how the internet became popular, which was to be known as the World Wide Web. This was the result of the rise of personal computers. The article states that the World Wide Web is a global store of information accessible to any person at his or her laptop, which most people all over the world use on a daily basis. The article states that the World Wide Web was the first attempt for an online catalog for the internet, the first one was known as ”Archie”(Schwartz and Campbell Vol. 28.)

In conclusion, the internet allows us to do many things, but the article explains how the internet even came about. Schwartz and Campbell believes that the internet was inevitable, it is just amazing to far the internet has come and to see how much the internet can do for us.

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