The Internet and New Technologies

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The Internet and New Technologies
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The Internet

• When search first started, if you searched for
  something and you found it, it was a miracle.
  Now, if you dont get exactly what you want in
  the first three results, something is wrong.
• Udi Manber, Google engineer, 2007

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The Internets History

• Begun by the Defense Departments ARPA (Advanced
  Research Project Agency)
• Survivable communications in a post-nuclear-war
  world
• Nicknamed the Net
• No central authority, therefore no way to
  decapitate in wartime
• This effort gave birth to the Internet.

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Bulletin Boards and Newsgroups

• Bulletin boards and newsgroups listed
  information.
• Scholarly pursuits
• Government research labs
• Tech industry
• Now users can find information on virtually any
  subject.
• During 1990s the number of users doubled each
  year.
• Growth attracted commercial interests.

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World Wide Web

• Tim Berners-Lee Developed WWW at CERN
• HTML Allows computers to communicate
• Web browsers Users can navigate the Web

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Internet Structure Today

• Internet Service Providers (ISP) big business
• World Wide Web (WWW) most frequently visited
  region of the Net
• Search engine reliability varies.
• Direct marketing dream come true
• Interpersonal communication
• E-mail
• Instant messaging (IM)

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Media Convergence

• Internet offers unprecedented communication
  opportunities
• Interactive content
• Hub for converging media
• Participatory media People become producers
  rather than just consumers of content.
• What are the positive and negative aspects of a
  decentralized, unhierarchical Internet?

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Technological Breakthroughs

• Digital communication
• Binary numbers
• Duplicate, store, and play back complex media
  content
• Microprocessors
• Process, store, and integrate electronic signals
• Fiber-optic cable
• Tiny filaments
• Carry huge volumes of information

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Googles Media Empire

• By 2007, Google had a market value of more than
  162 billion.
• In addition to its successful search engine,
  Google has branched out into
• Shopping (Froogle)
• Mapping (Google Maps)
• Blogging (Blogger)
• Advertising time sales (Google Audio Ads)
• Corporate buyouts YouTube (2006) and DoubleClick
  (2007)
• Gmail (e-mail)

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Regulatory Issues

• Little regulation on the Web
• Information rules
• Merger mania with telecoms
• Everybody wants to dominate
• Staggering amounts of money involved
• Google dominates advertising

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Media Giant
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Online Options

• Open-source Linux
• Wiki Web sites
• Blogs
• Social networking Web sites
• Facebook
• MySpace
• What are the potential benefits and dangers of
  user-created Web content?

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The Challenge to Keep Personal Information Private

• Everything you buy with a credit card
• Every Web site you search
• Every form you fill out
• All combined into a database about you.
• Modern marketing relies on such data.
• E-commerces popularity despite the risks
• Cookies
• Spyware
• Opt-in, opt-out policies

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Digital Divide

• Digital divide
• The growing contrast between information haves
  and information have-nots
• The reality of the digital divide
• In the United States
• Between the U.S. and the rest of the world
• Nicolas Negropontes 100 laptop project