- distance-independent communication
- universal availability of information
- immediate interactivity.
Distance-Independent Communication
The Internet is the first communications medium in history where the cost and ease of use is essentially independent of distance. It is now possible for a person to send an e-mail (electronic mail) to another person almost instantaneously without any regard for (or indeed knowledge of) where or at what distance the person lives. Thus, for example, if I have read an interesting research paper in which the author's e-mail address is given (increasingly the case), I can contact the author with a question or comment and not unreasonably expect to hear back from himlher the next day.
E-mail also differs from the telephone/fax in two other ways. First, it does not matter whether the other person is at home or not (one can pick up one's e-mail from any Internetconnected computer anywhere in the world). This has helped to considerably speed up communication exchanges between itinerant academics! E-mail technology is such that it is a simple matter to send the same message to large numbers of people at once. This has engendered a new form of communication called a mailing list (sometimes known as a discussion list) in which large numbers of people can discuss topics of mutual interest by sharing e-mails amongst the whole group.
A closely related resource is the newsgroup in which messages are posted on a common "bulletin board," which must be specifically sought out when one wishes to read the messages.
Universal Availability of Information
Although "universal" in this context means "universal amongst those with Internet access," the ability of the Internet to make information available instantaneously across the globe is quite unparalleled in history. The Internet has always allowed documents to be shared between computers on its network, and if I chose to update the content of my document, the new content will be instantly available to any reader who chooses to download it, wherever they may live. But it is the development of web sites with their multimedia and interactive capacity
hich has moved the Internet to becoming a part of everyday life in countries with high levels f Internet use. A web site is a collection of web pages or documents, each of which is written :.n a standard language (html and its more recent developments such as vrml), which allow rich multimedia and interactive capabilities, such as animated graphics, sound, and interactive put and responses, etc.
Hyperlinking is a feature by which clicking on a highlighted word or image automatically takes the viewer to another section of the text, or another resource altogether. In this way, it is possible to weave an almost endless web of interconnected material from many different sites. Furthermore, the presentation of this rich environment takes place on the user's screen d computer speakers in the case of audio files!) largely independent of what type of computer have (e.g., PC, Macintosh, Unix). A web site may contain anything from transcripts of e latest decisions of the US Supreme Court, to downloadable tracks from a hot band's new video and album, to an individual's philosophical musings. Although nobody knows how web sites and pages are on the Internet, it is believed to be at least several hundred - n and growing at a rapid rate. Writing a web site is now a relatively trivial technical exercise. As a result, the web has effectively democratized the flow of information.
Anyone can put whatever they wish on the web. In essence, it is a gigantic library, with any organization. Even so, by using an appropriate search engine it is possible to ut almost anything. The only problem being, as mentioned before, is that there is vouch for the accuracy of the material. Just three relatively trivial uses for such an instantly editable, universally viewable library will suffice to illustrate the potential of the web. The author is a fan of the great English game of cricket. No matter where he travels, he is now able to tune into instant score updates complete with live commentary and video highlights of an important game as it takes place. Before setting out on his travels, he can obtain a complete weather report for any possible location of interest, as well as a check on that day's exchange rate between any two currencies.
Immediate Interactivity
The Internet's true potential for interactivity is really only beginning to unfold. Two obvious examples: online share trading and interactive auction sites where a bidder and a seller may interact in real time from anywhere in the world.
