Introduction
The creation of the Internet is associated with the height of the Cold War. Kellerman asserts that the limited ARPANet was developed in 1969 (8). It connected the computers of military and research institutions in case of a quick response to the conditions at the beginning of the third world war. A key event in the development of the Internet is the invention by Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP), which is a set of rules that determine the principles of data exchange between various computer programs. In 1983, ARPANET switched to the TCP/IP protocol. From the same year, the term “Internet” began to be used to denote the concept of mutually switched networks. Since the Internet is a technology, the technological factor – computers, and smartphones – plays a crucial role in developing this media form.
Future Challenges
Along with the many benefits of the Internet, it has many potential problems. Bisen and Deshpande fear that humanity will be easier to control, and it will be more challenging to voice dissatisfaction with their position, provided that confidentiality is disclosed (9). In turn, Steckman notes that authoritarian governments can more easily seize power and stage a coup in a single world (15). Thus, information wars will become ever more prominent, and surveillance of every member of society, as demonstrated in Orwell’s novel “1984”, can become a reality. The problem with the Internet lies in the final technocratization of modern society, which, in particular, leads to its dehumanization.
The Impact on Society
The role of the Internet is quite significant in the development of modern society and the construction of a new social reality. On the Internet, a person gets access to various information sources, communicates with colleagues, participates in electronic conferences, and travels through time and space. Deibert notes that all this leads to the transformation of not only culture in general but also the anthropological image of a person (23). There is a formation of new information culture in society and an informational way of life.
Conclusion
The intellectual sphere of modern society is becoming more saturated, diverse, and influential concerning a person. Information technologies allow expanding the possibilities of education. According to Graham and Dutton, it forms a person’s broad outlook and new information needs (31). Moreover, the Internet creates specific conditions for developing human creative abilities, including memory, spatial thinking, and creative imagination.
Works Cited
Bisen, Shilpa Suresh, and Yogesh Deshpande. “The Impact of the Internet in twenty-first century addictions: An overview.” Psychological, Social, and Cultural Aspects of Internet Addiction, 2018, pp. 1-19.
Deibert, Ronald J. Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society. House of Anansi, 2020.
Graham, Mark, and William H. Dutton. Society and the Internet: How Networks of Information and Communication are Changing Our Lives. Oxford University Press, 2019.
Kellerman, Aharon. The Internet City: People, Companies, Systems and Vehicles. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019.
Steckman, Laura M. Examining Internet and Technology around the World. ABC-CLIO, 2020.