In a few decades the internet has become our civilisation's platform and database for both communication and information.
It's curious to see its growth, which is often so quiet that it's barely noticeable.
Today, whilst preparing documents for the organisation I work for, I noted a brief list of "information channels", as penned down by a board member:
- Internet
- Telephone
- Website
And I realise that including "the internet" as a means of communication is quite akin to having had included "talking" 20 years ago.
It's just too obvious to even make sense.
Few people realises how means of communication aren't replaced by the internet, as much as they're being assimilated or converted. Using "the internet" in this context refers to presence on social media and the use of email. And of course the third point, "website", is also using the internet.
But I also realise that even something like "telephony" is becoming the internet. I recently had a "telephone meeting" for work which was actually using Google Hangouts. Another meeting with the board was executed via standard telephony... but with a group call service which connected us via the internet and later sent an automatic report to me via email.
(And all the text messages we regularly send to our members? Sent via an internet service which then invoices us via email.)
When discussing communication platforms we have to stop talking about the internet, and start talking about all the millions of options we have once we already settled on the internet.
And most of all, we need to stop acting like the internet is something special. We shouldn't see it as a point on a list, but instead as the standardised system of communication.
All in all, we need to stop viewing the internet as an alternative or a helpful addition, and start viewing it as Everything 2.0.
This was my very first post on Steemit. I appreciate all types of feedback and constructive criticism on this quite unambitious train of thought. Thank you for reading!