Ideas for the Internet were around in the 1950's . As with most things they start in a primitive form. Researchers kept pounding away on developing an internet where all people could communicate with each other.
I remember my first experience with the internet. In 1995 one of our teachers ,who was the main computer expert in the school, set up a noon hour where she would connect to the internet. She spent the whole noon hour hooking things up and getting a telephone line. What she showed us was an article in MacLean's magazine. The magical moment I was expecting turned out to be one of the bigger disappointments in my life.
Well, all things on the technical side of the internet continued to develop. It became much easier to get on the internet and use the internet for data storage , research and communication.
So before my first internet encounter in 1995 it was thought that the internet would draw us together as all people could communicate with each other. That sounded like it would bring about much improvement to our world. Nothing but positive things were predicted about the internet.
Then the internet got so good that a few sharp business operators thought of ways to make money on the internet. The hucksters decided that ads could be used to sell things. A guy invented Face Book so that we could say things to each other and he could make money ...lots of money.
The problem is that people felt free to say things...anything whether it was nasty, true or false. So we began fighting and in the process being divided and fighting with each other.
So it is a disappointment that something that was designed to bring us together ended up being used to bring all kinds of harm to society.
Now almost everything we do on the internet is traced and the sharp operator collects all our information and uses it to control our information.
At the present time I'm considering buying a recumbent trike. Guess what? I see many recumbent trike ads directed at me.
It looks like the genie has got out of the bottle. Will that genie ever be under control again?
When it comes to advertising I'm afraid that genie is never going back. If you look up a product online you will start getting ads for it. It's all about the money isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI think the internet overall is like many advancements. It comes with a lot of good and unfortunately there are those that find many ways to use it for the bad. I do appreciate everything we can do with it though. But especially it is nice to be able to make wonderful blog friends all over the world!
I do enjoy the blogging and I hope you continue with your blog.
DeleteHello, there are good and bad things about the internet. All I can say is everyone should be careful, what they do and put on the internet. Enjoy your day, happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about good and bad. When the internet was developed they were hopeful that it would be for positive things,
DeleteI am quite sure the genie is out of the bottle, Red, and I am equally confident it will never be put back in,
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right on both of these.
DeleteThe great thing about the internet is that it gives everyone a voice. This is also one of the most unfortunate things about the internet.
ReplyDeleteThat's what happened and we can't seem to come up with any good rules to control the bad guys.
DeleteProbably not, Red. I don't see a world where we go backward to a time before the internet became such a huge part of our everyday life. I love blogging, and my blogging friends, like you, Red!
ReplyDeleteThings will never go back but what happens next?
DeleteYes, it the internet was supposed to bring us all together and help us communicate and learn and become enlightened. There are parts of it I still love so much, like blogging and finding good kind-hearted people all over the planet. But it's become such a tool for divisiveness and destruction. I wish it were different, but I guess that's like saying I wish people were different.
ReplyDeleteSomehow we have to find a way to control the harmful aspect of the internet.
DeleteIt does require some skill to avoid certain negative things!
ReplyDeletebut how do we prevent the negatives from getting on the internet in the first place.
DeleteIt is tragic that self-interested visitors, trolls and conmen have sought to subvert and misuse the internet. Something so magical has been dirtied but not destroyed! The benefits still outweigh the negatives by a long way.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the benefits outweigh the problems. It's disappointing that an opportunity for greater good has been lost.
DeleteIt definitely had unforeseen consequences, didn't it? Not only did it provide the perfect platform for argument, but it's killing off a lot of bricks-and-mortar retail establishments. I suppose it's like anything else, it has its ups and downs. I certainly spend a lot of time on the Internet, so I can't really complain!
ReplyDeleteThe internet has probably changed the earth more than anything else.
DeleteYou can't believe everything you read. The genie is out of the bottle never to return. Being careful is the way to be.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that so much untruth is put on the Internet.
DeleteYes, the genie is out of the bottle.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the Internet changes so that some of the evil is not published.
DeleteI hope that in the near future social media platforms will be forced through legislation to monitor and filter what's put on them. But I'm not confident it will happen. This is the world we live in now. It's complicated and out of control, and as long as there is money to be made by having it stay that way, it won't change. Change will need to be forced.
ReplyDeleteMoney certainly controls much of the internet and it's more money than has ever been made before.
DeleteThe trick is to be a smart user. The Internet is still a wonderful tool when used cautiously.
ReplyDeleteI would hope that something is developed to make the internet a better safer place.
ReplyDeleteIt all depends how the tool is used...like anything else... I think the good out weighs the evil:)
ReplyDeleteYou're asking the Big Questions today Red. The internet is now a largely profit driven enterprise and money talks and holds the trump card.
ReplyDeleteIt's a little like the inventor who worked on the atom which went on to rain down death and destruction on unsuspecting people and still remains a threat today.
In spite of all the downsides it does enable people to keep in contact and if you search around and set your own guidelines then there are good things to be found.
Some them on your blog Red. :-)
Alphie
You did a great job of summarizing how you've seen the internet evolve. As I read this I kept saying to myself, yes, that's the way I see it too. I wonder what it's going to look like in, say, 2030. Interesting stuff, neat post.
ReplyDeleteIt's always amazing to me just how much information people voluntarily share about themselves and their families on various social media sites. Sure, information is collected without our knowledge, but then a lot of actually provided by people and that's just as scary in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteWow! This was a fabulous post. It’s true the genie is out of the bottle now. My kids do warn me all the time not to post too personal a thing. However, I’ve limited what the web crawler can do with my blog posts so that’s ... perhaps a false sense of security. Anyway, the internet did allow me to meet you and feel that friendship from across the ocean.
ReplyDeleteGenie is out of the bottle, Pandora is out of her box. Great post Red! A lot of good from this new technology like me being in touch with my family overseas, but so much nastiness where people can say anything under the guise of anonymity. And the information collected! No secrets any more, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe internet is both positive and negative. Humans seem to have a way of making a mess of things!
ReplyDelete