Caught in the Net

Technology and computers have always fascinated society. The phone, T.V., and computer, while now taken for granted, were considered miracles when introduced. The Internet, when introduced, was met with roars of approval. People have put great effort into making and improving the Internet, and some, whether inadvertently or not have made it an unforgiving storm of chaos. There are informational sites, to personal pages, to social networking sites, to chat rooms, to porn sites. People have even become addicted to the internet. Their life online has become their entire social life. Some are talking about censoring the Internet, controlling it. The Internet is not too bad, though, and steps can be taken to prevent licentious sites from appearing. The Internet should be free to run wherever it wants, and it would be futile to try to control it, especially since more people, especially teenagers are using it. The Internet does not need fixing, but the people who use it do.

Though nearly everyone knows of the Internet, not everyone knows of its not-so-humble beginnings. The Cold War, the Department of Defense, ARPA, and other triggers created the Internet. During the Cold War, the USA Department of Defense (DOD) began to experiment in what they called ‘command and control’, which was about the connection of multiple computers. Their intention was to establish a conglomerated system of communication that would give them an edge in the battlefield. Therefore, the DOD, wanting to find the technologies that would give them an advantage against the Soviets, spurred the creation of the Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA or ARPA). Their first creation was the Arpanet, but with the help of a man called Vint Cerf, ARPA pulled through. Thus, the Internet was created, and as a military technology. The DOD’s plan worked.

Vinton Gray Cerf was one of the key factors in making the Internet. His opinions are still valued today in interviews...