The Internet, To Infinity And Beyond

The Internet has come to embody the wide spectrum of interests, faiths, beliefs, ideas, and knowledge for human beings across the globe. First an experiment by techno wizards and computer geeks, the Internet has grown so enormously in the last two decades, with email addresses and web urls increasingly mentioned in daily conversation. The Internet in its incubation and formative years, was loudly touted as the first 'free medium' of communication, free of the censures, dictates, conformities, and restrictions of other mediums of expression, that have become entrenched in tradition. One of the greatest assets of the web is its multimedia presentation capabilities where information once solely relegated to separate modes of expression, via print, artwork, movie, video, and face-to-face conversations, are all readily available and accessible through one medium: the Internet. With such versatility, it is no wonder that the Internet has grown in popularity in leaps and bounds, with even famous multimedia giants in the entertainment industry such as the famous Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg being quoted as saying: "I think that the Internet is going to effect the most profound change on the entertainment industries combined. And we're all gonna be tuning into the most popular Internet show in the world, which will be coming from some place in Des Moines. We're all going to lose our jobs. We're all gonna be on the Internet trying to find an audience." A question frequently posed by both visitors and web hosts alike, is has the internet simplified our lives? The answer is more complex than it would appear. Shopping or browsing for more information on virtually any topic, has becoming incredibly convenient via the Internet. Whole libraries and books of information, once only accessible via print copies, are now readily available on the Internet, and downloadable to the desktop of your computer. Internet technology has spawned a whole new generation of technology, hardware, and software with PDAs,MP3 players, streaming audio and video files, gaming software, eBay auctions, and so much more, now accessible via the click of a mouse. With information available on any topic now via the Internet, the potential for human communication, connection, and development has far surpassed any other form of media. A child growing up in this era of change, is more likely to know the name of the website of his or her favorite singer than the name of classic children's story tales. This and other "free accessibility" features are of concern to many parents who fear that the high prevalence of pornography, scams, and advertising on the Internet, will unduly affect the moral character of their children. The Internet is thus being 'reamed in' or questioned for parental controls and creation of 'restricted site access' to prevent such accessibility and its after-effects upon children.