Nowadays, we all communicate over the Internet. I can do a video call with my parents and talk to them just like I was in their house, even though I'm over a thousand miles away. Some municipal governments have documents online only, so a basic understanding of how the Internet and computers work is required by everyone.
The history of the Internet reaches back to 1962, when MIT researcher J.C.R Licklider envisioned a "Galactic Network" concept that could be used to access data and programs from anywhere in the world. Soon after publishing this concept, Mr. Licklider became the first head of computer research at DARPA, the US military's research arm. Research continued on making this concept a reality, both in the public and private sectors. In 1973, Xerox debuted the Ethernet protocol, which is now the most dominant interface between computers and the Internet. The Internet continued to evolve into what we have today with wireless internet in the home and over cellular networks.
There are many different tools to interact with other users over the Internet. One of the most common tools these days is Social Networking, which lets users interact with others, share photos and information and find similar interests between users. Before social networking took off, many users interacted over E-Mail, which allows direct communication between two users. E-Mail is still used today for various purposes, mostly by businesses to interact privately with their consumers.
At the core, the Internet is used to access and share information. On a grand scale, information can be accessed by Wikis and Blogs. An example of a Wiki is Wikipedia, which is a community driven site where anyone can add and edit the information on the site. Blogs are a little more specific. For example, I only talk about technology. Other blogs may focus on home repair, cooking and other topics.
The final tool for gaining information over the Internet is streaming media, including video hosting sites such as YouTube, podcasts and webcasts. Video streams are great for topics that show hands on work, such as how to repair a car or how to create a sculpture. Podcasts are audio or video files that include someone talking about a certain topic, such as biology, mathematics or social science. Finally, webcasts are just like podcasts, but occur in a live format where the audience can interact with the presenters.
Finally, the Internet is used for e-commerce, which includes buying and selling goods over the Internet. A big force behind this is Amazon, which sells physical goods delivered through the mail, but also electronic goods such as e-books, music and videos. With the right device, the content can be purchased and then accessed from anywhere.
