The Internet

On August 6, 1991, the first public World Wide Web was available to the public. This major breakthrough in technology was not fully appreciated. At that time, few people knew anything about the internet, and even less knew about the release of the public server.

Looking around today, almost everyone, at any age, is exposed to the internet, and 92% of people own a computer. Since the first World Wide Web breakthrough in 1991, the internet has been improving the availability and usability with new services of media, games, and search engines. The internet has undeniably changed the way people go about their lives for the better. 

But, everyone has seen the Public Service Announcements of how the internet is represented, a place to be cautious because at every click there is a hacker and at another there is a predator. Whether presented by a school or an ad, every PSA is oriented around this same idea of the internet. Perhaps, this idea is true, as everyone’s interpretation is different.

Dear future president, please accurately represent the internet. Every ad and every PSA depicts the internet as a place where if entered, there is danger everywhere. Although there are many sites where this danger is present, for the majority of people, the probability is unlikely.

Based on average, the internet is mainly used for two reasons. The first being search engines. Some search engines are Bing, Google, and Yahoo. These servers are used to search archives all throughout the internet to find a quick link. Second, the internet is used for media groups. Media groups are plentiful throughout the internet, and some include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. These sites are used to check up on statuses of anyone.

In the majority of the PSA’s, they accurately represent the most popular types of sites, but inaccurately represent those sites. The PSA’s are quick to use the easiest solution to inform people of the danger. For the search engines, they latch to hackers and viruses; and for media groups, they approach with bullies and predators. While these threats are present, the PSA’s purposefully oversimplify the problems and represent the internet poorly. Even if the threats are there, the ability to avoid them are present in each instance. For example, in media groups, block people, and for search engines, be careful.

To the future president, as a solution, though it may be more difficult, attempt to give the internet an accurate representation of what it is. Show the people that the internet is a glimpse of what the future has in store. It may be easy to simplify the problems with inaccurate situations and major repercussions of a terrible event. Instead, show the positive side of the internet, and introduce a way to show the next generation that it is what this great nation accomplished.  

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet , http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/acs/acs-28.pdf