The Internet: How it's Evolved

During Mr. Abel Choy's lecture on how the internet is evolving and always changing, it really made me think. I use the internet everyday for one reason or another, but I never really stopped to think that this THING we use changes every single day, without us even noticing sometimes. I mean if you asked me I would probably on have noticed my web browsers upgrading every now and then but other than that I really couldn't put my finger on it. The first slide he showed during the lecture really was an eye opener.

First slide our lecturer showed us.

To imagine that that's what happen in one minute is mind-blowing, don't you think? So then there's thing called Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP). This right here is how the internet serves billions of people all around the world. I learned that this is how we get on the internet, for example the websites we go on all have this. I didn't know this but at the moment, we are in the generation of Web 3.0. Before this, I had no idea that there was even a Web 1.0 or Web 2.0. This era is apparently from 2010-2020. Which means that the next era (Web 4.0) will begin for another decade in 2020. I can't imagine what the internet will be like then, or how much more advanced it's going to become. Exciting, yet a little scary because it's constantly changing.

One thing we all love to do when we are on the internet, is browse or another term is 'surf'. Taking into account that everyone is different and we all have different preferences, therefore our choices for Internet Browsers varies from east to west. I used to be a hardcore Mozilla Firefox fan, and partly still am but just recently last year I switched to Chrome because I discovered a world of features that Firefox could never offer me (it was partly due to peer influences). To me, Internet Explorer is the pioneer of internet browsers. But since the internet is always evolving, Internet Explorer got left behind and is largely mocked today. Today, the King of Browsers is.... (drum roll)..... Google Chrome. There was a study done by Shareaholic where they showed the usage share of all major browsers today. Chrome in at number one with 34.65%, followed by Internet Explorer (12.49%) and Mozilla Firefox (11.94%). You can have a look at the image below for the other browsers too. 

Study by Shareaholic of Web Browser Usage Share

Google Chrome gives lots of benefits, like the ability to personalize it to your preferences, right down to last detail. Its easy to use, clean design and my favorite is the start up page. It has all my most visited pages and bookmarks ready for my to click on. It also is really fast and never crashes or gives me problems. Two thumbs up for Google Chrome. 

Links: 

http://mashable.com/2008/09/02/awesome-google-chrome/

Social Media

So, Social Media. I think it's safe to say almost everyone that has access to the internet is somehow connected to a social media platform. The most obvious answer to which one is most popular is Facebook, in my opinion. Social Media has the ability to connect everyone from everywhere. I'm not going to lie and say I am against it, because my steady stream of Facebook and Instagram posts would say otherwise. But if we take a good look back in the past, social media platforms have come a long way. Each individual platform has taken it's step into the spotlight, however long it may have been, then past the torch on to the next best thing. Let's take a look at some examples. I can still remember when everyone was raving about 'Friendster' and 'MySpace'. I can't say that I was part of that craze, because I was too young back then. 2002 was the booming year for Friendster where it grew to garner 3 millions members in just 3 short months. Then not too long after that, in 2003 is when 'MySpace' launched. Some calling it the 'clone' of Friendster. Then, came the new age of Facebook in 2004. I think everyone who has watched the movie "Social Network" starring Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg knows the tale of how Facebook started and grew to be a worldwide phenomenon.

In today's world, social media platforms are absolutely everywhere. Companies are using them to advertise, broadcast messages and boost their image. But that's not the reason the majority of us use social media. We interact on social media on a personal level. Whether it's keeping in touch with friends and family or  it's to play obnoxiously annoying Facebook games, we all love to use it. On one hand, it has become an addiction to some because of how mobile the internet is today and how we can access it from anywhere, especially our phones. If you ever take a good look around you when you are out or taking the train, you will truly see how much the internet and social media has infiltrated society. I double dare you to see if you can point out anymore than 5 people, who's eyes are not gluing to a cellphone. This is why another social media platfrom, Instagram, is so popular. It's an app which allows you to post and share photos while you are on the go. No more do we have to wait until we get home to access the internet to post things, but because of the magic of "3G" networks, we can do it anywhere!

I think Facebook is great. There is so much you can do and that capacity has been growing every since 2004. You should check out the link I have put below about "10 reasons why Facebook has lasted 10 years". The number one thing that I love about it is that its user-friendly and so easy to use. There are no complicated features that give you a headache, but also if there is something Facebook wants to update you about, they'll put a message on your homepage to tell you! Makes everyone's life easier don't you think? I mean think about anyone who has ever complained about how difficult Facebook is... NADA! One of the reasons I never bothered to join MySpace or Twitter (Twitter I gave a shot but I gave up about a week in... ) is because it looks so unappealing. As a new user I was put off by the features because it wasn't as easy to use. Facebook has become so big and earns a whopping amount of 1 billion dollars every three month, according to CNN. They even bought another big social media platform, Instagram, in 2012 for 1 billion dollars. Talk about taking control of the market...


All in all, Social Media shapes our lives today whether we want to believe it or not. It's everywhere and it takes an incredible amount of effort to avoid it. But, if we look on the bright side of things, social media has the potential to do great things other than writing on your friend's wall. We just have to embrace it because it doesn't look like its going to disappear anytime soon or ever. Think of it this way, without Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, do you honestly think that you would still be in touch with your friends from 10 years ago? Food for thought....


http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/126998-10-reasons-why-facebook-has-lasted-10-years