Rebuilding the Internet
By: Alex Annunziato and Shanthi Gnanasekaran
When one tries to conceptualize the Internet in a few words, they might come up with phrases like, “universal,” or “constantly changing,” or “powered by one source,” or “something I use every day.” We tried to replicate that image of the Internet with a fridge! A fridge is powered by one source, and is used by all, as it is the place where we store food. A fridge is systematic, and we use fridges to fulfill many needs. Inside a fridge, you can find many levels that appeal to you at different times. For example, if you are baking a cake, you would go to the egg and butter part of your fridge, instead of the meat section. In the same way, we use the Internet to fulfill specific needs at different times. We would only use the research section of the Internet when writing a paper, but would use the shopping section when looking for an affordable, new outfit. Additionally, the material on the Internet changes every day, just like the products in your fridge. You need to replenish groceries often, and you need to update your Internet software and usage often as well.
The alphabet magnets decorating the front of the fridge could be indicative of an IP address, in that they are the first thing an individual would see when encountering the “internet” fridge. In the same way, IP addresses are used to identify devices on the Internet, so the external magnets could be the unique IP set of numbers and letters representing devices on our network, our source.
The black handle represents a WiFi network, which provides access to the Internet, just as a fridge handle allows an individual to open and access his or her fridge. The Internet remains closed and unusable until a WiFi network is enabled, and the same is true for a fridge. The charging cable plugged into the wall outlet shows a central power source, and the connectivity on which the Internet runs.
Once the fridge is opened, one can see various sections of food typical of a standard fridge. The top shelf contains a dairy and egg section, which is representative of the shopping section of the Internet, with various popular stores like Amazon, Ebay, Craigslist, and Walmart. The section is labelled with a shopping bag icon. Then, to the right is a selection of bread, which is representative of the education section of the Internet. This section houses materials for learning, such as language or typing programs used in schools, as well as online news sources and magazines. This section is labeled with a small computer icon.
Next, on the shelf below, one can see a large box of bow-tie pasta. This is representative of the research section of the Internet, containing various mediums of research, including databases, articles, and journals, which are shown in the many pieces of pasta. To the right of that shelf is a meat section, which contains the browser area of the Internet, with different meats representing different browsers, such as Google, Safari, Firefox, and Yahoo.
Then there are two pullout drawers on the bottom of the fridge that represent two different themes. The drawer full of fruit represents social media which is labeled with a phone and emojis icon. The different types of fruit represent different social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and personal email. The second pullout drawer is full of vegetables and it represents different types of entertainment. This section is labeled with a TV icon. Each vegetable symbolizes different types of media like movies (ie. Netflix), music (ie. Apple Music), YouTube, and online gaming. These drawers are not only easy to access, but also large and durable, making them ideal for constant, daily use of these parts of the Internet.
This concludes the tour of our “Internet” fridge. We attempted to demonstrate both creativity as well as the principles of connectivity and accessibility found in Internet usage. We hope you enjoyed our take on rebuilding the Internet!
#Dgst101
