Internet Phenomenology 101
It's shocking but true: the Internet doesn't really exist.
It doesn't exist as a distinct entity, in any case. The Information
Superhighway? It may be Al Gore's favorite daydream, but it isn't here yet. There
is no single highway, street, or span of cable that connects us all. There isn't
even a main intersection.
Sorry to burst your bubble.
So the whole world is buzzing about something that isn't real?
Well, it's sort of real. It all depends on how you look at it. Like one of those
tacky postcards that seem to (because they have two images super-imposed on
the surface), if you hold the Internet up to the light, sometimes it's there and
sometimes it's not.
The Internet isn't an "it" ...if you know what I mean. What we call the "Internet" is
really an amorphous network of other networks. It [sic] doesn't have a center or a shape or
clear boundaries. Although it has caretakers, the Internet has no central agency or computer
keeping it running.
What holds this crawling, sprawling mass together? A simple agreement: TCP/IP. All
networks in the larger network agree to transfer data to and from eachother according to
common protocols. We talked about the wonders of TCP/IP before.
Not exactly a language, a protocol is more like grammar or a code of behavior. TCP/IP governs
the way data is packed and unpacked and how it travels to reach its destination.
So when we talk about the Internet, remember that it's not a thing -- but a series of
relationships and processes.
The Internet Is NOT a Thing . . .
Hold that tacky postcard up to the light again. In another sense, the Internet has become such a powerful and real force in our lives that it can be held responsible for getting people jobs, for keeping families together, for tearing them apart, for spreading important news about world events, and even for the births of more than a few little humans.
Maybe the Internet Is TOO Real . . .
Where else can you get the real scoop on whether Tori Spelling got that boob job or not? Where else can you meet others who share your fetish for lycra or your passion for tofu?
The shocking truth is: the Internet is SO real that it is changing our lives. It connects us. My friend Lisa met her husband online, and now they're having a baby. Would they have met and would that life have been created without the Internet? It's interesting to think about.
