Computer sciences and technology

4 Decades of the Internet: Transcending Boundaries When a team of engineers led by Leonard Kleinrock, a at UCLA, successfully linked a computer from Boehler Hall to another computer at Standard University on the 29th of October 1969, little did they know that what they accomplished will dramatically change the way of the world. The connection they made that day will be the very foundation of the most revolutionary invention mankind had ever seen; the internet. Although they have predicted that their accomplishment will soon be a household necessity, its far more extensive scope in the future is beyond their reckoning. Today, the internet has become an indispensable tool to every facet of the human civilization; be it political, social, or economical. As cliché as it sounds, it made the world smaller. By connecting people thousands of leagues apart, it altered the way the world interact and helped the culture of each nation evolve towards a more globally centred one.
Internet and Socialization
If one will ask any high school student about the essence of the internet, the answer he will probably get is, “ to be connected to anyone in the world”. With the advent and dominance of social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter, it is not surprising at all to have such a mainstream response. After all, the internet is every bit about connectivity. It is about building bridges from one part of the world to another; about destroying the barriers of each culture in order to let them grow and embrace positive changes. The internet has allowed the social scope of every culture to focus not only on a single-race interaction, but rather to foster a multi-racial relationship.
Forty years ago, before the internet was born, social interaction is on a more personal level. People can talk just about anything under the sun – from the things they are interested the most to the not so interesting topics at all – with them conversing face to face. Although interaction through the internet can never be as personal as before, the integration of a multi-cultural perspective makes every topic of conversation as interesting, if not even more. This mixed perspective is the primary factor pushing socialization to greater horizons
Internet-driven Political Progress
The internet has played a great role in reshaping the face of Politics, particularly its dynamics. It has completely revolutionized how political campaigns are carried out. It can be a highly effective platform with which political views can be shared to persuade people to vote for a candidate. Social networking sites and blogging are now being tapped as a way to reach potential voters. Feedbacks are gathered via these mediums and from these feedbacks, a more competitive and timely political platforms can be derived. Publicity, both good and bad, is not a problem with the internet. Anyone around the world can read and be influenced by what one is trying to convey. Because of this, the internet can be considered far more efficient and less costly compared to the traditional tools of politics. Indeed, it is now a major political tool with which a future leader can make or break his career.
Business through the Internet
Perhaps the field where internet had had an unbelievably huge influence is in Economics, particularly business. Internet provided new ways to conduct businesses. Today, a business does not necessarily need an office anymore. A virtual office can pretty much substitute for that. Business can be done on the comforts of one’s home. Rather than going through the hassles of the stock market, one can monitor the progress of their stocks in front of their computer. Outsourcing has made daily operations less expensive by hiring professionals on another part of the world. A global market can now be tapped through internet advertisements that can be shown virtually anywhere around the globe. These are just some of the economic leaps made possible via the internet and this paper would easily reach 10 pages at the minimum if all are to be listed. As Juliane Elliot (2006) would say, “ We no longer live in a world of local markets. The internet has brought us into a global marketplace.”
The contribution of the internet to the advancement of the human society is undeniably one of the greatest, if not the greatest. It has helped the political, social, and economic facets of the society grow to be globally inclined. In all honesty, at the rate the internet is going right now a global integration is inevitable. Although it has not been fully integrated, a great part of the world has already embraced it. And yes, just like any other things, there are negative sides to the internet as well. Hopefully, however, the global links that the internet is creating will continue to transcend boundaries of culture and create positive changes to the world.
Works Cited
Elliot, Julian. “ How the Internet has Changed the World.” Socyberty. 14 April 2008.
Web. 2012
Howe, Walt. “ A Brief History of the Internet.” Walthowe. 13 September 2012.
Web. 2012