Trevor Montgomery
Professor Kelly Heppner
ENGL A111 (792)
12 December 2011
A Dot Com Kind of Lifestyle: The Internet's Grip on Humanity
In 1969, at the University of California, Los Angeles, a man named Charley Kline sent packets of data to the Stanford Research Institute. The packets of data were letters, and they were intended to spell out "LOGIN." As Kline sent the letter G, the system crashed. This event marked the birth of the internet. Now, over forty years later, millions of people access the internet all over the world, poring over information. The internet holds the interest and attention of a great majority of the Earth's population, with the information that the medium conveys being in a state of constant change and debate.
News
Popular news networks, such as CNN, FOX, or MSNBC, are prime sources of world events. Their internet website counterparts provide even more information, with additional news articles on technology, entertainment, sports, and much more. comScore, Inc. reports that an average day of web traffic on CNN.com is about 35 million page views (techcrunch.com). Additionally, on November 4th, 2008 (election day), CNN.com reached a record high of 276 million page views (techcrunch.com). The FOX News website reports 22.9 million unique users per month (advertise.foxnews.com), with TechCrunch listing CNN's unique visitor count record at 27 million. The Huffington Post website attracts 30 million people each month (Business Insider). The fact that so many people can stay glued to a news site is astounding.
Blogs
The word "blog" comes from a combination of the words "web" and "log." It is a sort of public journal in which one can share commentary and opinions on anything they would desire. "Blogging" is the maintaining of an individual's blog. Websites like Blogspot, Tumblr, and Twitter allow a person to provide their most simple or intricate thoughts and feelings. Twitter claims to have over 175 million accounts registered. Blogspot, launched by Pyra Labs in 1999, had garnered "hundreds of thousands of users" in only three years (Blogspot). Then, in 2002, Google acquired Pyra. The claim to hundreds of thousands of active users of Blogspot still holds true today.
Entertainment
There are dozens of entertainment websites. Streaming media sites, like Youtube and Hulu, provide free hosting of video on the internet. The term "viral video" describes a video that rapidly gains popularity. Youtube reports that each day, users upload almost eight years of video (Youtube).
Products
Digital distribution and online product ordering have gained a tremendous foothold in the life of a consumer. Online stores like Amazon provide a vast array of products that can be shipped directly to the consumer, with no need to step foot in a retail store. Even groceries can be ordered for delivery from businesses like Safeway and Netgrocer.
Digital distribution has revolutionized the way computer programs reach the hands of consumers. Companies like Adobe provide downloads for their popular products like Photoshop and Premiere. A program called Steam, developed by Valve, allows one to purchase and download over 4,000 items, almost 1,900 of which are available for under ten dollars (store.steampowered.com). Additionally, Steam has year-round sales on games, and annual winter holiday and summer sales. Steam is a constant source of competition to game retailers like Gamestop, a company that finds it hard to compete with Steam's prices.
Social Interaction
Facebook plays host to a whopping 800 million active users. Each day, over half the userbase uses the website. Their activity involves the use of over 900 million pages, groups, events, and games. With the average user having 130 friends and being linked to about 80 community pages (Facebook), Facebook is the leading website in social interaction.
Conclusion
The internet provides an amazing amount of media and information. It is possible to live a life where leaving the house is never needed. Food and entertainment are accessible with something as simple as the connection of a cable. As the technological age moves on, the internet with be the force that propels it.
