Blog Post #5 – What would happen if the internet never existed?

Hello everyone! This is my 3rd and also last round of research of my inquiry project. I will first talk about 2 major inventions that were made on top of the internet and 2 major inventions made before the internet. Then, I will talk about the positive and negative ways that the internet affected humans like what we can do, and ways it has diminshed common psychological attriubutes.

Inventions Made on Top of the Internet

World Wide Web / WWW

WWW is probably the most influencial invention that can be accessed publicly. The Web has created tremendous opportunities for expression, empowerment, and enrichment for everyone. In the early 1990s, a British computer scientist, Tim Berners-Lee, invented the World Wide Web. Businesses worldwide underwent a metamorphosis as the WWW made them available to the public. The web opened vast possibilities, introducing new ways to communicate, market, and conduct transactions. The web could enable them to establish websites and offer 24/7 access to products and services. The World Wide Web allowed instant communication and collaboration between businesses and has been a game-changer, transforming how teams operate and boosting overall efficiency and productivity. (1) As of today, many things people do daily involves the use of WWW. Some examples are accessing social media site like Tiktok, purchasing something from Amazon, and reading an article online.

Artificial Intelligence / AI

AI was also very influencial, as it has potential to complety change the future. The earliest significant work in the field of artificial intelligence was done in the mid-20th century by the British computer scientist Alan Mathison Turing. Turing introduced a computing device comprising an infinite memory and a scanning mechanism traversing the memory, interpreting symbols, and writing more symbols. (2) In the work industry, AI is most commonly used for doing computerized tasks, which saves much labor time. AI analyzes more and deeper data that can uncover gaps and opportunities in the market very quickly. It helps introduce businesses to new products, services, channels and business models with a level of speed and quality that wasn’t possible before, which is a huge advantage. (3) It is also a main element of autonomous vehicle systems. Learning from the complex data that they receive can improve its algorithms, that can expand a car’s ability to navigate the road and have more safety for concepts such as self-driving. AI is also applied to home and in the workplace essentials such as security intelligence and smart cams. (2)

Inventions / Discoveries Before the Internet

Electricity

Electricity is an essential part of modern life and important to the U.S. economy. One of the founding fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin, is most credible for discovering electricity in 1752. He made an experiment where he attached a metal key to a kite in a thunderstorm. which showed that lightning consists of electricity. As the storm approached, Franklin observed that the kite’s key attracted electrical charges from the lightning in the clouds. When he brought his hand close to the key, he felt a spark, indicating the presence of electricity. This observation led Franklin to state that lightning is a form of electrical discharge. (4) Thomas Edison played a significant part in introducing the modern age of electricity. Some of his inventions included the carbon-button transmitter for the telephone speaker and microphone, the incandescent lamp, and the first commercial electric light and power system. He developed the first successful practical electric light bulb and established the world’s first electric power distribution system, which was crucial in bringing electricity into homes and businesses. (5) Today, people use electricity for lighting, heating and cooling, refrigeration, electronics, and much more.

Printing Press

The printing press made a huge positive impact on society. It gave public access to knowledge, the spread of ideas, and the accessibility of information expanded the way for the growth of education, science, literature, arts, and culture. The first printing press made public was made by Johannes Gutenberg, a german inventor, around 1440 AD. His press used movable metal type, which revolutionized the production of books and other printed materials, making them more accessible and affordable to the common people. He wanted to change the challenges associated with the labor-intensive and time-consuming process of hand-copying books and manuscripts. However, there were many Many different techniques used to make books like chiseling an entire page of text into a wood block backwards which was made by the Chinese around 800 AD. In 1250 AD, the Koreans invented minting bronze coins to cast 3-dimensional characters in metal. These coins would be arranged these pieces in a frame, coated them with ink, and used them to press sheets of paper. (6)

Internet aides and hinders

Helpfulness

Nowadays, many people use search engines to search for things online. Most countries have access to such engines such as Google, except for some underdeveloped countries. Search engines help gather information very quickly from the best sources, which is very useful in daily life. In the consumer world, shopping is eaisier. You can can look up any product, search for information online, compare prices between retailers, make the purchase in-app and pick it up at a store of your choice. The internet also made entertainement way more accessible for everyone, whether free or by have subscriptions to websites. With the emergence of smart TVs and the new generation of gaming consoles, all you need is a connection to access all sorts of entertainment. It could be movie streaming (Netflix), music (Spotify), the sports experience or on-demand personalized contents. (7)

Hinders

Also the internet comes with many benefits, it can also lead to negative affects on people, both mentally and physically. One study found that our average attention span has decreased by 4 seconds, down from 12 to 8, which is shorter than that of a goldfish, which is 9 seconds. Nearly 70% of Americans think the internet is good for our relationships. While it is good, children who are growing up with devices do not develop the kinds of interpersonal and relationship-building skills they need to form deep and meaningful relationships. (8) A way where people can hide away is on social media, which can interfere with sleep, physical activity, schoolwork, and in-person social interactions.

Summary

Both types of inventions are important and will go down in history, but what I think is the inventions made on top of the Internet are more set to have better improvements in the future. Since the discovery of electricity and invention of the printing press were both a couple centuries ago, more effective products have been made to benefit the environment and people. The clear difference between the two types of inventions is the one based of the internet will stay and improvement as we advance into the future, and we hope to make better alternatives from creations that were made a long time ago.

The Internet’s pros and cons both have their own respective facts. People can search, look, and access basically anything from the comfortable of their devices, but there are still many cons that have yet to be solved. Later on in the years, there will probably be people that would talk about how being on your devices can cause many negative effects as many of our day are heavily influenced by the Internet. As the Internet’s benefits are great, people still need to understand what bad things using it to much can do to them.

Thank you for reading my blog!

Po Yiu Yau

Citations

1. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/world-wide-webs-profound-impact-business
2. Artificial intelligence – Alan Turing, AI Beginnings | Britannica
3. What is Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Why is it Important? | Accenture
4. Who discovered electricity? Probably not who you’re thinking – BBC Science Focus Magazine
5. Thomas Edison | Biography, Early Life, Inventions, & Facts | Britannica
6. So, Gutenberg Didn’t Actually Invent Printing As We Know It ‹ Literary Hub (lithub.com)
7. 10 Ways The Internet Has Changed The Way We Live (And Do Business) – Neosperience
8. How Is Modern Technology Affecting Human Development? | Walden University