Outernet : How internet became our reality ?

In today’s times, the internet has basically become inescapable.
Especially for teenagers and the younger generations (or GenZ as we
currently term it as) in the world. It’s no secret that this tech-savvy
world has made our lives easier and faster. There isn’t any field left
where modern technology hasn’t been introduced and rightfully so it
helps us to work more efficiently. I am going to get down to the brass
tracks and start talking about the origin of the Internet also termed
as the “World Wide Web”. January 1 st , 1983 is the official birthday of
the internet. It was discovered by computer scientists Vinton Cerf
and Bob Kahn. However, it first started being developed in the late
1960’s in California, USA. On April 30 th , 1993 the internet was made
available to access for the public. Now a question should have been
raised in your mind that if some random scientists discovered the
internet, do they own it as well? The answer is dexterously, no.
Ideally, the internet is owned by no one and everyone. Another fact
about the internet is that Berners-Lee was the first person to upload

an image to the web. This event took place in the year 1992. As we
have heard that the internet is a massive network that connects
millions of computers globally, so what if it was never invented? Just
give this question a thought yourself. Can you really imagine your life
without the internet? Without this vast network, there would be no
more online chatting, no emails, no computer games, no online
shopping giants, no OTT platforms would exist and no online fund
transfers or bill payments would take place either. And standing in
long queues in banks for tasks as mundane as that has really become an inconvenience for us now, hasn’t it?

Society in general, just cannot survive without the internet. How did
we get to this point? But have you ever thought about the advantages of living without the network? Without the web, people would actually take time to communicate in person. They would start to visit each other’s places instead of having a half-hearted phone call. Majority of us spend time on our mobile phones before we go to sleep which in turn affects the sleep quality. Without network, our phones would be as empty as a tin can. The sunny side is that, without the constant addiction to their phones, people could actually sleep better and remain more energetic throughout the day. We won’t have to worry about internet scams, cybercrime, cyberbullying and spam calls (let’s be real, majority of us have faced one or the other of these situations due to clicking on a spam link or accepting an unknown WhatsApp call). Life before the internet was better because when people had some spare time to kill, they would come up with innovative ideas to keep themselves entertained. One of the most sought-after ways was to read books or go on long walks. I accept that there are many disadvantages due to the increasing use of the internet, however, there’s always a different side to the coin too. The net has revolutionized the field of communication to the extent that a person sitting at any corner of the world can connect with people of different communities. Phone calls, video calls and online chatting apps have now become our preferred medium for everyday communication. Due to the evolution of technology in the 21 st century, the internet is no longer subjected to just information exchange but has become a versatile tool that enables even common people like us to create and design our own content. In olden days, people had to write letters in order to communicate with their peers and the delivery of the same would take days or even months. But as the concept of online chatting was developed, we could send messages from one end of earth to the other in a matter of seconds, no matter the vast amount of distance between us. Previously, people had to approach newsstands in order to be aware of the happenings around them or in the entire world, but due to the rise of news websites, any story could go viral in a jiffy. Personal incidents could be publicized and local issues could be set off to be all encompassing. Though, we cannot deny that this can compromise with our privacy and security.

Although, I have stated all these disadvantages of the internet, who am I kidding? I would just be as hopeless without the internet as every other individual whose life depends on it! The truth will remain the same that the internet has successfully excelled in bringing together various communities comprehensibly. It has completely transformed the fields of business, healthcare, communication, mass media, education, even the government and has brought out a significantly good change in our day to day lives. We can make instant payments through UPI apps, order food online, book transportation tickets, get speedy information and find accurate routes through digital maps or GPS. Indeed, the internet has changed the way we live our lives. The invention of smartphones was one such game changer move to make the internet an enormous part of our lives because it’s no secret that through our smartphones, we can possess the knowledge about the entire world in the palm of our hands! By all counts, the internet is becoming more and more important every day as it is one of the brand new and farsighted approach. Because according to the statistics of 2021, a total of 4.66 billion people worldwide are active internet users (which is 65.6% of the total world population.) I may not be an expert but at some point, all of us will perceive that life without the internet is truly obscure, laborious and baffling.

-Aditi Bidkar