The Internet and the Future of Communication :: Concept Essays

Even the beginning of the day started bad. I got up late for school and, with my luck had a test first hour. After getting to school and taking the test which seemed to be in a different language, I faced unpleasant customers for five long hours at work. Finally, being able to come home, flip of my shoes and sink my feet into our thick carpet was similar to what heaven must be. Switching into a pair of worn sweats and T-shirt I swiveled into the chair in front of my computer. With a press of a few buttons I called up my E-mail. I had a message from my best friend, Lily. Eagerly I called it up. Seemingly knowing of my bad day, she cheered me up instantly by telling me of her even worse day, after all misery loves company. I typed in a short response and decided to ignore the other mail for now. Just imagine the capability offered to a user, being able to hear from anyone this simply. Maybe a person is at work and decide to write a quick letter. This application is called Electronic Mail, commonly known as E-mail. Similar to the mail system, each user has an address. By putting on the address and typing the message, sending business or personal mail is quick and easy. With more and more computer networks acquiring use to the Internet even more communication will be possible. Information would be only a touch of a key away. So what exactly is the Internet? The Internet is a worldwide web of universities, business, commercial, military and science networks (Laquey 7). The networks function separately but with the Internet they can also function together. All of the information one of the networks supplies (and is willing to give out) is available to all of the other networks. This gives an amazing amount of access to an individual user who is hooked into one of these networks. Individual users, not part of a network, can receive the Internet capabilities by subscribing to a network connected to the Internet. Usually, the networks that supply an Internet connection are commercial. Locally, an example is Prodigy. This is a network, that in itself, provides many resources and can give single users access to the Internet. Personally, Prodigy has created keeping in touch with my friends at college an easier task.