What is the internet?#Dgst101
The preface was interesting to me because it highlighted such an old view of the internet. David Weinberger’s main concern was how much utility the Mosaic program featured, even though by modern standards it is such an outdated advancement. I really like his statement later in the preface where he says that the Web is about “changing our understanding of what puts things together in the first place.” This statement becomes more and more true as the internet expands and has new features and uses. The rise of social media and web-based news has caused an immense increase in digital presences, and for better or worse, it has increased connections among people, ideas, and companies.
Chapter two’s use of a “map” of the Web was interesting as it put onto paper an idea that many people have. The Web is not a physical space, no matter how much it may seem like one. Websites and platforms feel like buildings that one has entered. Weinberger’s point that the Web cannot be spatially measured is very important in my opinion. For the sake of argument, the Web is limitless. It is constantly expanding like the universe. New planets and stars are massive platforms that run organizations.
To reflect on some of the questions, the internet is not a physical location. In terms of hardware, it is run of of physical technology, but its existence in the way we think of it is not a physical location. The internet is not something that can be physically walked through. A person cannot arrive at a destination and look around and explore their surroundings in the way a person can in reality. I see the internet as being one thing, not multiple internets. Much like reality, we occupy one. While there may be multiple realities, I believe we are currently only on one physical one, and I see the internet as an overall description of the web and our digital presence. The internet is becoming a reality occupying presence. People are quickly expanding their digital presence, and I believe that this will begin to overtake some of physical life. Whole portions of economies, governments, and people’s jobs live on the internet. I love that the internet provides connection between people. I think that the level of accessibility it creates between people is great. I believe that it is also increasing human knowledge and accessibility to it. I am scared that the internet provides a platform for lies and manipulation on a far greater scale than any other concept in history. The unprecedented level of freedom that it provides can be easily abused.
I see the internet as a living organism. It is constantly growing and feeding on new information. It uses new data to increase efficiency and constantly gains new features. The addition of artificial intelligence to the internet will rapidly revolutionize the idea that the internet is a living organism. The entire web will be so connected that many more people will be brought together. Right now the internet is a great tool to connect people across with the world, but artificial intelligence will make the world completely connected. People’s daily lives will be influenced even more by the internet, and it will play a part in all of their daily actions. I believe that this change will be negative for a while, as it would cause ethical concerns, but I believe that this new internet will one day benefit the whole world.
