Week 1: History and Evolution of the Internet and the Web
I have always used the terms Internet and Web interchangeably. I would say "I'll look it up on the Internet." as much as I would say "I'll look it up on the Web."
Only after going through this past week of COM 125 Introduction to the Internet, have I learned that the terms are not the same and to distinguish the difference.
From what I have learned, I know that the Internet is a giant network of networks, which any computer can access as long as it has the ability to connect online.
The World Wide Web (or Web as we commonly say), refers to how we use the Internet. We use the Web to pull out information as well as put up information onto the Internet.
I was most surprised to learn that the Internet is so massive that there exists a Dark Web. This is where a large amount of information is encrypted and hidden on the Internet but cannot be accessed with our "ordinary" World Wide Web. If you want to access the Dark Web, you need to download and use different programmes
When I further delved into reading up on the topic, I learned that the Dark Web is where users go to to find more illegal content, ranging from black market purchases, such as illegal drugs and organs, to child pornography. Terrorist networks have also reportedly been found to have operated on the Dark Web.
The Dark Web is also where many whistleblowing sites hide from the organisations they report on as well as government agencies. Sites that don't want to be in the authorities' crosshairs like Wikileaks and their editor-in-chief Julian Assange, who is still on the run.
The potential of the Internet and the Web is something that I often take for granted. I find it hard to think back to life when I was younger, when technology was not as prominent in my life as it is now. At 23 years old now, I spend most of my days accessing the Internet through the Web.
Whether it is for research purposes or for entertainment, the Internet along with the World Wide Web has become an undeniably important part of my life. I look forward to learning more in future classes of COM 125.
Only after going through this past week of COM 125 Introduction to the Internet, have I learned that the terms are not the same and to distinguish the difference.
The World Wide Web (or Web as we commonly say), refers to how we use the Internet. We use the Web to pull out information as well as put up information onto the Internet.
I was most surprised to learn that the Internet is so massive that there exists a Dark Web. This is where a large amount of information is encrypted and hidden on the Internet but cannot be accessed with our "ordinary" World Wide Web. If you want to access the Dark Web, you need to download and use different programmes
When I further delved into reading up on the topic, I learned that the Dark Web is where users go to to find more illegal content, ranging from black market purchases, such as illegal drugs and organs, to child pornography. Terrorist networks have also reportedly been found to have operated on the Dark Web.
The Dark Web is also where many whistleblowing sites hide from the organisations they report on as well as government agencies. Sites that don't want to be in the authorities' crosshairs like Wikileaks and their editor-in-chief Julian Assange, who is still on the run.
The potential of the Internet and the Web is something that I often take for granted. I find it hard to think back to life when I was younger, when technology was not as prominent in my life as it is now. At 23 years old now, I spend most of my days accessing the Internet through the Web.
Whether it is for research purposes or for entertainment, the Internet along with the World Wide Web has become an undeniably important part of my life. I look forward to learning more in future classes of COM 125.
Comments
Post a Comment