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The Internet
Original course & content comes from Washington State University Extension, Center to Bridge the Digital Divide.
The Internet:
The development of the Internet has generated pervasive attention. It has gone from being a communication tool, used by a small sector of the society to a gigantic tool that has permeated much of the corporate and the consumer world. The Internet is the largest computer network on the planet, linking numerous countries across the globe. The e-mail and World Wide Web - the multimedia part of the Internet are the two most used features of the Internet. The Internet offers access to seemingly limitless information and this consequently, has resulted in "a boom in the Internet usage around the world. It has become a source of information for professionals: journalists, executives, academics and other opinion-making classes" (Herman and McChesney 1997: 118).
The Internet has evolved from being a robust and effective way of exchanging information to providing a delivery mechanism for massive amounts of multimedia information to a global audience. The many uses of the Internet include:
The WWW enables individuals and organisation to provide a full gamut of multimedia information that can be accessed by a global audience (Stroud 1998:1).
Fundamental Concepts of the World Wide Web
The Hypertext Concept The hypertext is a way of presenting information in a such a way that the sequence of the information is left up to the reader. This sequence is usually non-linear, however readers can follow a linear sequence. The hypertexc works by means of hyperlink, which are highlighted or underlined words (or graphics) that one can click to bring another document into view.
Web Browser A web browser displays a web document and enables users to access web documents. When the user clicks a hyperlinks, the browser initiate a message to a web server. This message requests the server to retrieve the requested information and send it back to the web browser through the telecommunications network.
Web Server This is a programme that waits patiently for the browser to request a web page. The servers looks for the requested information, retrieves it and send it to the browser or sends an error message if the file is not found.
Uniform Resource Locators (URL) These are the web addresses. The resource locator is an addressing system that precisely sates where a resource is located. It is divided into four parts: protocol; server/ domain name; path and the resource name. Fig 1.5 provides a graphical explanation of web address.
FIG 1.5 (right) Structure of web addresses
Adapted from Williams, B. et al., 1999 & Pfaffenberger, B. (2002)
Internet Use in Africa
Considerable development has been made in terms of the expansion of the use of the Internet in Africa. African governments have come to realise the importance of global connectivity that the Internet offers and are making effort to provide the rudimentary infrastructure for Internet take-off. A notable instance is the general consensus by African leaders that ICTs and specifically global connectivity are priority areas coupled with poverty alleviation (1). This development has continued to grow in the Internet use and market in Africa. The Internet market in Africa doubled from 2.5 million users to about 5 million in the year 2000, which shows a high level of growth. Specifically, the African market grew by 126 percent in the year 2000 (van Niekerk, 2001). In the same year, South African market grew by 80 percent from 1.6 million users to 2.8 million. About 66 percent, of Internet users on the African continent are in South Africa (ibid.) The use of the Internet has grown relatively rapidly in most urban areas in Africa, in much the same pattern as the adoption of the cell phone. As an indication, five years ago, only a handful of countries had local Internet access, now it is available in every capital city on the continent.
For a concise and detail account of the Internet market and usage in Africa, learners are encouraged to visit http://www3.sn.apc.org/africa/afstat.htm This link provides a status report on the African internet landscape.
Learning Activity 2: Is telecommunication revolution taking place in the country that you live? locate the policy trends that drive this revolution in this country. Hints: Peruse the Country's Telecomunication policy (act) Study the market environment - write your answer as a Thread on this page.
The Internet:
The development of the Internet has generated pervasive attention. It has gone from being a communication tool, used by a small sector of the society to a gigantic tool that has permeated much of the corporate and the consumer world. The Internet is the largest computer network on the planet, linking numerous countries across the globe. The e-mail and World Wide Web - the multimedia part of the Internet are the two most used features of the Internet. The Internet offers access to seemingly limitless information and this consequently, has resulted in "a boom in the Internet usage around the world. It has become a source of information for professionals: journalists, executives, academics and other opinion-making classes" (Herman and McChesney 1997: 118).
The Internet has evolved from being a robust and effective way of exchanging information to providing a delivery mechanism for massive amounts of multimedia information to a global audience. The many uses of the Internet include:- Electronic Mail (e-mail)
- World Wide Web (WWW)
- The connection of remote computers
- Remote control of remote equipment
- Remote data acquisition
The WWW enables individuals and organisation to provide a full gamut of multimedia information that can be accessed by a global audience (Stroud 1998:1).
Fundamental Concepts of the World Wide Web
The Hypertext Concept The hypertext is a way of presenting information in a such a way that the sequence of the information is left up to the reader. This sequence is usually non-linear, however readers can follow a linear sequence. The hypertexc works by means of hyperlink, which are highlighted or underlined words (or graphics) that one can click to bring another document into view.
Web Browser A web browser displays a web document and enables users to access web documents. When the user clicks a hyperlinks, the browser initiate a message to a web server. This message requests the server to retrieve the requested information and send it back to the web browser through the telecommunications network.
Web Server This is a programme that waits patiently for the browser to request a web page. The servers looks for the requested information, retrieves it and send it to the browser or sends an error message if the file is not found.
Uniform Resource Locators (URL) These are the web addresses. The resource locator is an addressing system that precisely sates where a resource is located. It is divided into four parts: protocol; server/ domain name; path and the resource name. Fig 1.5 provides a graphical explanation of web address.
FIG 1.5 (right) Structure of web addresses
Adapted from Williams, B. et al., 1999 & Pfaffenberger, B. (2002)
Internet Use in Africa
Considerable development has been made in terms of the expansion of the use of the Internet in Africa. African governments have come to realise the importance of global connectivity that the Internet offers and are making effort to provide the rudimentary infrastructure for Internet take-off. A notable instance is the general consensus by African leaders that ICTs and specifically global connectivity are priority areas coupled with poverty alleviation (1). This development has continued to grow in the Internet use and market in Africa. The Internet market in Africa doubled from 2.5 million users to about 5 million in the year 2000, which shows a high level of growth. Specifically, the African market grew by 126 percent in the year 2000 (van Niekerk, 2001). In the same year, South African market grew by 80 percent from 1.6 million users to 2.8 million. About 66 percent, of Internet users on the African continent are in South Africa (ibid.) The use of the Internet has grown relatively rapidly in most urban areas in Africa, in much the same pattern as the adoption of the cell phone. As an indication, five years ago, only a handful of countries had local Internet access, now it is available in every capital city on the continent.
For a concise and detail account of the Internet market and usage in Africa, learners are encouraged to visit http://www3.sn.apc.org/africa/afstat.htm This link provides a status report on the African internet landscape.
Learning Activity 2: Is telecommunication revolution taking place in the country that you live? locate the policy trends that drive this revolution in this country. Hints: Peruse the Country's Telecomunication policy (act) Study the market environment - write your answer as a Thread on this page.
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