The Virtual Revolution

Last semester, Mr. Mueller introduced a very good video to us and now I also want to share it with you, perhaps some of you have already known it. For the last year, it has been a highlight of the week. It charts the very real impact that the Internet has had on our lives and forecasts how it might develop as access spreads around the globe. Saying much, it is “BBC The Virtual Revolution”.

Here is the video:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/virtualrevolution/3dexplorer_start.shtml

The list of interviewees is stellar; Tim Berners-Lee, Arianna Huffington, Clay Shirky, Jimmy Wales, Steve Wozniak, Biz Stone and Evan Williams are just a small selection.  All of this hosted by the brilliant Dr Aleks Krotoski. It takes on the big questions around politics, privacy, society and relationships bringing genuine insight into the changes driven by the web. The web isn’t a channel like TV, radio or print. It is so much more than that but it is critical that those involved in communications remember the residual
power of conventional channels.

Human imperceptibly entered a revolution, as the development of the network allows us to learn a lot of information. Twenty years ago, the British Tim boehner LiFa invented Internet. “Just because I need it myself,” he told the BBC like this. Since then, the world is no longer the former world.

 

The World Wide Web, or “network” changed the whole world social organization form. Without hesitation, many people compare network revolution with industrial revolution of the nineteenth century. In the society, more and more departments linked to network in an explosive speed and through various forms. Although the number is differ, some studies estimate that about 17 million people, or nearly 25 percent of the world’s population, is a network users.

Network “Ford”

Network became accessible and sparked a revolution.

Network development course is a little bit like the auto industry in the early 20th century. In the early 20th century, cars appeared a few decades ago, but until someone understand the way to make cars popular, the potential of car marketing appears. Henry Ford’s model T car design, make millions of consumers can afford a car. Cars were no longer just to satisfy the millionaire curiosity of machinery. Similarly, after Bernard Lawrence LiFa invented Internet (WWW network), network immediately became millions people’s indispensable tools.

Internet Giant

Perhaps with no company to compete, it expands in the network economic and cultural fields, impressing everyone. Google brings dispersed web users together through a collection of the web pages. Today, in advertising, media, business, or even cultural, Google is considered industry giant.

 

Double-edged Sword

“Opened a world, but also made people produce fear.”

The development of the Internet economy got a huge impact on the off-line economy. Due to the emergence of simple and convenient tickets website, hundreds of ticket agencies have been replaced. Amazon’s expansion made thousands of bookstore close.

The Internet as a city network

In the social network, people with common values, hobbies and interests get together regardless of race, class, place of birth. However, many people complain that the network makes social communication meaningless in real world. What can best illustrate this point is Facebook. Millions of Facebook users’ privacy threatened in the Internet, as I mentioned in former blogs about the Internet privacy.

At present the whole world has a quarter of people online. When the other three-quarters of people are going to the Internet, what will be prepared for them by the Internet?