The one invention that I believe has had the greatest impact on our society is the development of the World Wide Web in the late 1980s. This invention revolutionized the way that people interact. It has sped up communications and provided a new medium for commercial activity and advertising. The Internet provides a fast and easy way to communicate with people, regardless of where they are. The World Wide Web has made a wealth of information available to anyone who has a computer. After its initial development, the Internet has gone from a futuristic idea, to a household commodity.
One of the most appreciated aspects of the Internet is its ability to speed up communications. Messages can be delivered around the globe in a matter of seconds in the form of e-mails or instant messages. Previously, it could take days, or even weeks, for a letter to reach the intended recipient. Phone calls were another option, but different time zones often made it difficult to coordinate a conversation, messages left on answering machines were often overheard, and long-distance fees are expensive. The Internet has provided a dependable alternative to the traditional means of communication.
The Internet has also provided a new market in which to advertise and sell commercial goods. Companies can market their product online, allowing consumers the luxury of shopping without ever being forced to leave their homes. Clothing, airplane tickets, books, movies, even a pizza can be ordered online and delivered to your home. This new market has created thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in profits.
Research used to take years to complete. Sorting through books and documents at libraries around the globe was a long and expensive process. With the development of the Internet however, we are now able to access all the same information in a matter of seconds. We can read through archived documents and browse scanned images that we previously would have had to travel thousands of miles to see. With a click of a mouse we can find out the number of people in a country, the score of the latest football game, the status of the stock market, or tomorrow’s weather. The entire history of every country is available, as well as the names of every political leader in the world. The Internet has taken a wealth of information and compacted it into one medium accessible to anyone with a computer and a modem.
The development of the Internet was a long and arduous process, one that many deemed irrelevant and too futuristic to be of practical usage. However the Internet has proven to be an irreplaceable means of communication and a valuable system of sharing information.
One of the most appreciated aspects of the Internet is its ability to speed up communications. Messages can be delivered around the globe in a matter of seconds in the form of e-mails or instant messages. Previously, it could take days, or even weeks, for a letter to reach the intended recipient. Phone calls were another option, but different time zones often made it difficult to coordinate a conversation, messages left on answering machines were often overheard, and long-distance fees are expensive. The Internet has provided a dependable alternative to the traditional means of communication.
The Internet has also provided a new market in which to advertise and sell commercial goods. Companies can market their product online, allowing consumers the luxury of shopping without ever being forced to leave their homes. Clothing, airplane tickets, books, movies, even a pizza can be ordered online and delivered to your home. This new market has created thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in profits.
Research used to take years to complete. Sorting through books and documents at libraries around the globe was a long and expensive process. With the development of the Internet however, we are now able to access all the same information in a matter of seconds. We can read through archived documents and browse scanned images that we previously would have had to travel thousands of miles to see. With a click of a mouse we can find out the number of people in a country, the score of the latest football game, the status of the stock market, or tomorrow’s weather. The entire history of every country is available, as well as the names of every political leader in the world. The Internet has taken a wealth of information and compacted it into one medium accessible to anyone with a computer and a modem.
The development of the Internet was a long and arduous process, one that many deemed irrelevant and too futuristic to be of practical usage. However the Internet has proven to be an irreplaceable means of communication and a valuable system of sharing information.