A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE INTERNET AND SECURITY ISSUES
The internet started as a Department of Defense project that would allow computers to communicate in the event of an attack. Funding was done by the U.S. government and the name given to it was “ARPANET” or Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. This was the building blocks of what the internet is today. The World Wide Web is typically what we think of as the internet and was established in 1991 by Tim Berners-Lee. The “Web” is a subset of the internet and is used exclusively for broadcasting web pages in HTML format. (Evans et al, 2019)It is important when using the internet to communicate that you do not give any personal information out. Giving lists of your favorite things is a bad idea because those are typical answers for security questions that can bypass passwords. This can lead to theft of money or identity. (Evans et al, 2019)
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Social networking has become one of the most popular uses of the internet for personal and business interactions. It has become some peoples entire social lives and an addiction. Although, in today's world, it is a powerful tool for business’ to market their products and services and for people to market themselves. Searching for a job has never been easier than it is today with the ability to apply directly for dozens of jobs in a matter of hours. Personally, people can stay in touch with old friends or family and share their thoughts, videos or pictures with them instantly. It has become a blessing and a curse as this direct communication has actually torn a lot of people apart and divided them. Issues and points of view that would have been of little consequence if you were physically near someone have blown into long standing feuds and hatred because people tend to take to grandiose soap box preaching and start to shun those who don’t agree with their points of view.
WIKIS AND BLOGS
Weblog is the formal name for what we call a “blog.” Blogs are websites that are created by individuals and updated chronologically. The newest content is displayed first and updates are frequent. Althought text and picture based blogs still exist and are very popular, video blogs or “vlogs” have become very common especially on sites like YouTube. (Evans et al, 2019)Wikis, on the other hand, are content that is created and edited by many users. They are collaborated efforts. People who have access to the Wiki page can edit content at any time and the Wiki can be accessed through a browser. It should be noted that Wiki pages can have great information, but also contain false facts or fake news. They should not be used as an academic resource. (Evans et al, 2019)
PODCASTS AND WEBCASTS
Podcasts are usually pre-recorded audio and sometimes video content. Their subject matter can be about anything and they are distributed over the internet. Podcasts differ from regular audio and video files as they use really simple syndication or “RSS” to distribute the digital information automatically to an aggregator such as iTunes or Spotify. (Evans et al, 2019)Webcasts are usually live video/audio. Webcasts are feeds of audio and video uploaded by the creator and viewed live by viewers. Some broadcasts of these types are interactive, allowing people to participate by sending comments that everyone can see, including the creator and other viewers. (Evans et al, 2019)
A great example of a webcast would be a Purdue University Global seminar where the professor teaches a class viewed by students of the University. Comments are not only welcome, but required!
STREAMING MEDIA
YouTube has made entertainment through the internet very common. Before streaming media, you would have to locate and download audio or video files before viewing them. This could take a while because you would have to wait until the download is completely finished before being able to view it. Enter Netflix. Netflix and the like, have changed the way we consume movies and television. Before streaming media services, if you wanted to view a recent movie, you would be required to travel to a video store and rent or buy a physical copy of it. Now, you can subscribe to services that will have a set of television shows and movies for you to watch. If you want the newest content, such as the latest movie just released, you can generally buy it from a website and view it instantly as well.
E-COMMERCE AND M-COMMERCE
E-commerce is business done through the internet. M-commerce is e-commerce but specifically through a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet. Business-to-consumer commerce occurs when you log on to a website, such as Amazon, and buy a product. Business-to-business commerce is when a company sells their products to other companies, such as a manufacturer selling their product to a distributor. Consumer-to-consumer commerce is when a person (not business) sells their possessions to another person. The most famous platform for this type of sales is eBay. You can post your goods for someone else to view and purchase them. (Evans et al, 2019)REFERENCES
Evans, A., Martin, K., Poatsy, M. A. Technology in Action Complete. [Purdue University Global Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://purdueuniversityglobal.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134838410/
