It’s no doubt that humans tend to spend a whole lot of time surfing the internet, it’s only natural given that this useful tool has a lot to offer. On the internet, you can find pretty much everything, from recipes to books, educational videos, answers to weird questions and restaurants near you. After all, you’re reading this thanks to the internet.
But you already know what it has to offer, but what is really the internet? It’s a global system of networks built on an internet protocol suite used to communicate. In a nutshell, it’s a network of networks. It started in the late ’60s as ARPANET – also known as Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. It was created with the purpose to link computers of research institutions funded by the Pentagon, over a telephone line.
But ARPANET was open to the public and soon being used by everyone, and military forces decided that they could no longer use it for confidential and important stuff and kept away from it. At the same time, computers were evolving and the rules managing this network changed. In 1982 Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol Suite was standardized to make everyone using ARPANET follow the same rules and standards. Then, it finally let go of its military past being renamed as the Internet.
It began to be used due to the rise of electronic mail nowadays most known as email, then it kept improving and improving to what we have now. Do you need the answer to a science problem, a cookie’s recipe, stay updated on what celebrities are doing, watch the news, create a social media profile, listen to some music or even make international calls through apps? You can do this all and much more on the internet. Now, you’re probably wondering where exactly you can search for those things. Well, on search engines, the most popular is Google Search.
Google has become such a recognizable brand, it became a transitive verb. You’re more likely to hear someone say “Google something up” instead of “Search for it on the Internet”. Its popularity is also pretty clear when you find out Google Search has about 92% share of the global search engine market and it’s the most visited website in the world.
It works by using an algorithm called PageRank in order to rank web pages in the search engine results, showing the best and most accurate results for the search. These ranks are based on most visits, location, and relevance of the site. A great feature Google Search has is that it can also be used as a conversational search, a tool that allows making a search online without pressing any button on the device. It comes in handy for some people with disabilities and those that can’t use their phone in some circumstances where they have their hands occupied.
It also includes some interesting features: you can customize searches by using symbols with different meanings allowing you to include, exclude or require search results. It also has interactive features and in-site games according to historical events, time conversions, weather forecasts and it’s available in 149 languages.
But how about the pros and cons of having an active online experience? First the pros: it allows you to stay connected with people all around the world, it’s very useful when it comes to finding freelance or normal jobs with a great variety of sites and pages that focus on this type of field, it offers better access to education through books, video courses and even whole lectures of specific topics; moving to something more modern, it allows the existence of autonomous cars and smart homes.
For the cons: it creates an unhealthy dependence on the internet, which can lead to laziness, depression and abstinence syndrome. On the internet, you’re more prone to experience cyberbullying and come closer to hate groups, it has inappropriate and sensitive content for children and some people, plus it can also interfere with your privacy and safety.
Some pages or websites you go to while surfing the net can show you ads. These ads are based on earlier web searches you make or websites you visit, in order for advertisers to show you those targeted ads, they must keep a track of your movements online to keep record; the most common tool to use is the well-known Cookies. Websites work by placing a cookie on your web browser so that they can recognize your device in the future.
Another thing internet users might be worried about is the surveillance factor. Some governments can spy on you to monitor the internet usage of citizens. Communication service providers are required to keep a client’s internet records for some time, which can be obtained by government agencies to be used in investigations. This can have some benefits because it might prevent illegal purchases from being made, for example. However, it’s natural that people worry about this because after all, it’s an invasion of privacy.
Internet users are also worried about theft, scammers or cybercriminals that have developed some techniques and methods in order to steal personal information of people online. They commonly use malware and phishing to make their illegal activities that involve the victim clicking or entering in a suspicious link or website, through email or social media – after only one click, the criminal can have access to the information on your device and do whatever they want with it.
One way to keep a safe presence online is to be careful with whom you speak with online and in which sites you enter, however, it’s always recommended to get a VPN to protect your online activity and prevent scams and theft. Another useful security method is to get a virtual number for registering in online sites, that way the site and service provider won’t have access to your real phone number. You can get one through us, Major Phones. We offer the most reliable numbers from both the US and the UK. Go ahead and sign up now!
