The Rise of the Internet

I was born in the 1960s. Few people knew about me at first. Today few can imagine life without me. I’m often the first thing you use when you wake up, and the last thing you use at night. If you tried to download everything I’ve got, it would take you 1.8 billion years. What am I?

I was born in the 1960s. Few people knew about me at first. Today few can imagine life without me. I’m often the first thing you use when you wake up, and the last thing you use at night. If you tried to download everything I’ve got, it would take you 1.8 billion years. What am I?

If you guessed the internet, you’re correct. And it’s no surprise you knew the answer, since so many parts of our lives involve being online. We rely on the internet for almost everything—to message our friends, to do homework, to watch our favorite TikToks and listen to our favorite songs, to find out if we need to pack an umbrella.

But there was a time when the internet didn’t exist. And even when it first emerged in the 1960s, few people knew or cared about it.

So how did we get to now, when most people can’t imagine life without the internet?

Did you guess the internet? You’re correct. It’s no surprise you knew the answer. We use the internet all the time. We go online to message our friends, do homework, watch TikToks, listen to songs, and check the weather.

But the internet didn’t always exist. It first emerged in the 1960s. But few people knew or cared about it. 

Now most people can’t imagine life without the internet. How did we get here?

Let’s travel a few decades into the past, to a time before YouTube and Amazon and Google. How did people communicate? How did people do research? How did people do . . . anything?

A lot more slowly.

To research a paper, you’d trek to the library and comb through books. If you needed to know how many centimeters are in an inch, you’d look it up in a book or ask someone. To find out what was going on in the world, you’d watch the news on TV or read a newspaper. If you wanted to tell your friend something, you’d call them on your family’s landline telephone. If they weren’t home, you’d leave a message or try again later.

But today, thanks to the internet, we can do all that and more with the tap of a finger.

Let’s travel a few decades into the past. It’s a time before YouTube, Amazon, and Google. How did people communicate? How did people do research? How did people do anything? 

A lot more slowly.

To research a paper, you’d go to the library. You’d look through books. To learn how many centimeters are in an inch, you’d look it up in a book. Or you’d ask someone. To find out what was going on in the world, you’d watch the news on TV. Or you’d read a newspaper. To tell your friend something, you’d call them on your family’s landline telephone. If they weren’t home, you’d leave a message. Or you’d try again later. 

But today, we can do all that and more with the tap of a finger—thanks to the internet.

The internet is a massive, global network of computers. Each computer is connected via cables, phone lines, or wirelessly.

In its early form in the 1960s, however, the internet looked very different from how it looks today. Social media didn’t exist. Neither did search engines or online shopping. So what did the internet do exactly? It enabled computers to share information with each other.

For scientists, this was a big deal. But for the internet’s first few decades, the average person didn’t understand what it was or why it mattered. At the time, computers were large and expensive, and not many people owned one. Even if you did, you couldn’t do much more with it than type up a letter or play a simple game.

That all changed in the 1990s, when Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, wondered: What if everyone could use the internet?

Berners-Lee went on to create the World Wide Web (or “the web” for short). It was the first version of the system of webpages we use today, and it became available to the public in April 1993. Thanks to Berners-Lee, anyone—not just computer scientists—could visit a website to get information. Not only that, but anyone could create a website too.

The web was a hit. By 1996, just three years later, you could do all sorts of things online: buy books, read the news, connect with fellow sports or music fans, book a flight. Free web-based email services also appeared, leading to one of the first viral videos: a goofy dancing baby. “Instant messaging,” a precursor to texting, and online chats connected people on a global scale.

By 1998, the internet had 2 million websites.

The internet is a massive, global network of computers. Each computer is connected via cables or phone lines, or wirelessly. 

In the 1960s, however, the internet looked very different from how it looks today. Social media didn’t exist. Search engines and online shopping didn’t exist. The internet only allowed computers to share information with each other.

For scientists, this was a big deal. But the average person didn’t understand what the internet was or why it mattered. At the time, computers were large and expensive. Not many people owned one. If you did, you used it only to type a letter or play a simple game.

That all changed in the 1990s. That’s when Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, wondered: What if everyone could use the internet? 

Berners-Lee went on to create the World Wide Web (or “the web” for short). It was the first version of the system of webpages we use today. It became available to the public in April 1993. Now anyone—not just computer scientists—could visit a website to get information. And anyone could create a website. 

The web was a hit. By 1996, just three years later, you could do all sorts of things online. You could buy books, read the news, connect with fellow sports or music fans, or book a flight. Free web-based email services also appeared. This led to one of the first viral videos: a goofy dancing baby. Online chats connected people on a global scale. So did “instant messaging,” a precursor to texting.

By 1998, the internet had 2 million websites.

Today the internet has about 200 million active websites, and more than 5.44 billion people use the internet worldwide. That’s 67.1 percent of the global population!

When Berners-Lee created the web, he envisioned it as a public space where ideas and information could be freely exchanged. But some countries have since restricted access to the internet so they can more closely control what their citizens see. In North Korea, people are allowed to visit only websites that have been approved by the government. Breaking this rule can lead to fines and even prison time. China has created a security system that restricts access to the internet, particularly to any news that doesn’t reflect positively on the government.

Today the internet has about 200 million active websites. More than 5.44 billion people use the internet worldwide. That’s 67.1 percent of the global population!

Berners-Lee created the web to be a public space. He wanted ideas and information to be freely exchanged. But today, some countries restrict access to the internet. They control what their citizens see. In North Korea, people can visit only websites that have been approved by the government. People who break this rule can be fined or sent to prison. China also controls what its citizens see. It blocks news that doesn’t reflect positively on the government.

Nevertheless, the invention of the web changed the world. It transformed the way we learn, shop, and communicate. It allowed ordinary people to easily spread information faster than ever before. It led to the social media sites you love today, like Snapchat and TikTok.

Yet some experts worry that we now have access to too much information. They warn that “information overload” can be bad for our mental health, and that scrolling through endless videos and news articles can leave us feeling overwhelmed. In one 2022 study conducted by the American Psychological Association, 73 percent of Americans reported being overwhelmed by negative news accessed mostly online.

What’s more, anyone can post news, photos, or videos that look or feel real—even if they’re not— making it difficult to know if what you see online can be trusted.

All of this has lead some U.S. lawmakers to call for more regulation of the internet. These lawmakers say that big technology companies have too much power over online spaces, and that they are not doing enough to protect young internet users.

Berners-Lee is proud of his invention—but he also has concerns. He too is worried that big tech companies have too much control over what we see online. He’s also concerned about how easily false stories can spread, noting that misinformation is everywhere online.

Berners-Lee is working to find a solution to these problems, but it’s difficult. The internet is still changing, and there’s no telling what will come next.

Even so, the web changed the world. It changed the way we learn, shop, and communicate. It allowed ordinary people to easily spread information faster than ever before. It led to the social media sites you love today, like Snapchat and TikTok.

Some experts worry that we now have access to too much information. They warn that “information overload” can be bad for our mental health. They say that scrolling through endless videos and news articles can leave us feeling overwhelmed. The American Psychological Association conducted a study in 2022. It found that 73 percent of Americans were overwhelmed by negative news accessed mostly online.

In addition, anyone can post news, photos, or videos that look or feel real—even if they’re not. This makes it difficult to know if what you see online can be trusted. 

Now some U.S. lawmakers are calling for more regulation of the internet. These lawmakers say that big technology companies have too much power over online spaces. They say the companies are not doing enough to protect young internet users. 

Berners-Lee is proud of his invention. But he has concerns. He too is worried that big tech companies have too much control over what we see online. He’s also concerned about how easily false stories can spread. He notes that misinformation is everywhere online.

Berners-Lee is working to find a solution to these problems. But it’s difficult. The internet is still changing. And there’s no telling what will come next.

Think of your favorite book. How long would it take you to copy the entire thing by hand? Hours? Days? Months?

Believe it or not, there was a time when most books were made this way. In the early 1400s, books were not widely available, and many people could not read or write. If you wanted a book back then, a person known as a scribe would have had to make a copy for you by hand.

Scribes, whose job it was to write out texts, wrote with quills— feathers plucked from large birds. The feathers’ tips were sharpened with a knife and dipped in ink. (Pencils and pens didn’t exist yet.) If a scribe made a mistake, they gently scraped away a bit of the page to erase it.

It could take months or even years to create a single book. This painstaking work was expensive, and as a result, only the rich could afford to own books.

But that would soon change. In 1436, a blacksmith in Germany named Johannes Gutenberg wondered if there might be a better way to make books. This curiosity led him to create a device that would alter history: the printing press.

Think of your favorite book. How long would it take  you to copy the entire thing by hand? Hours? Days? Months? 

Believe it or not, there was a time when most books were made this way. In the early 1400s, books were not widely available. Many people could not read or write. If you wanted a book, a person known as a scribe would make a copy for you by hand.

Scribes had the job of writing out texts. They wrote with quills—feathers plucked from large birds. The feathers’ tips were sharpened with a knife and dipped in ink. (Pencils and pens didn’t exist yet.) If a scribe made a mistake, they scraped away a bit of the page to erase it. 

It could take months or even years to create a single book. This painstaking work was expensive. Only the rich could afford to own books.

But that would soon change.

Johannes Gutenberg was a blacksmith in Germany. In 1436, he wondered if there might be a better way to make books. This led him to create the printing press. It would alter history.

Gutenberg’s printing press transformed Europe—and the world. Before it, there were only about 30,000 books in all of Europe. About 50 years later, that number was closer to 9 million. A vast reserve of knowledge and information could now be purchased by almost anyone. Over the next few centuries, books became even cheaper and more plentiful, which allowed more people to learn to read and write. After the printing press was invented, the number of literate Europeans doubled every century.

As literacy spread, so did information. In fact, by the end of the 1400s, a new kind of news network had taken shape. Printers used their new printing presses to create news pamphlets, which were sold to sailors. When the sailors arrived in a new city, local printers copied the pamphlets. Then people on horseback took those copies to other towns and villages.

It wasn’t real-time news like we have today, but it was a big step. Even if you lived in a tiny village, you had access to the news of the day much sooner than before. News and information began to spread more and more rapidly.

Gutenberg’s printing press transformed Europe—and the world. Before it, there were only about 30,000 books in all of Europe. About 50 years later, that number was closer to 9 million. Knowledge and information could now be purchased by almost anyone. Over the next few centuries, books became even cheaper and more plentiful. More people learned to read and write. After the printing press was invented, the number of literate Europeans doubled every century. 

As literacy spread, so did information. By the end of the 1400s, a new kind of news network had taken shape. Printers used their printing presses to create news pamphlets. They were sold to sailors. When the sailors arrived in a new city, local printers copied the pamphlets. Then people on horseback took those copies to other towns and villages. 

It wasn’t real-time news like we have today. But it was a big step. Even if you lived in a tiny village, you had access to the news of the day much sooner than before. News and information began to spread more and more rapidly. 

Gutenberg’s printing press sparked a revolution not just in reading and writing but in science and the arts too. The invention helped fuel a period of scientific and cultural advancement in Europe called the Renaissance. During this time, there was an explosion of new ideas, artwork, and scientific discovery. William Shakespeare wrote some of his most famous plays. Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. The telescope and the microscope were invented.

As for Gutenberg, he didn’t live to see the impact of his invention or to profit from it. He died fairly poor—without even a tombstone to mark his grave.

But if he were alive today, he’d probably be proud. Thanks to his invention, the world became richer in many ways.

Gutenberg’s printing press sparked a revolution in reading and writing as well as in science and the arts. The invention helped fuel a period of scientific and cultural advancement in Europe called the Renaissance. During this time, there was an explosion of new ideas, artwork, and scientific discovery. William Shakespeare wrote some of his most famous plays. Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. The telescope and the microscope were invented.

Gutenberg didn’t live to see the impact of his invention or to profit from it. He died fairly poor. His grave was not even marked with a tombstone. 

But if he were alive today, he’d probably be proud. Thanks to his invention, the world became richer in many ways.