Feature

Are we caught up in the World Wide Web?

This month, I look at the invention of the World Wide Web and ask whether all the good things it brings outweigh the bad.

01/04/2019 14:43:28

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Last month, the invention of the web marked its 30th anniversary. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, its creator and a renowned British computer scientist, first unveiled his vision for what would become the web in 1989 as a way to
share information for free and across the world. It forms the basis of the internet we know today.

When you think about it, 30 years isn’t that long but it’s hard for a millennial such as myself to think
of a world without the wide web. It’s a research tool, an advertising platform, a knowledge bank, a shopping centre, a teaching method, a mode of communication etc. The list is endless…and now, with easier access to computers,
the modernisation of countries around the world and an increased utilisation of smartphones, people have the opportunity to use the internet even more frequently and with more convenience. According to a recent report, the number of internet users worldwide
in 2018 was 3.9 billion, up from 3.65 billion in the previous year.

But for every good thing that comes out of the web, there’s an equally (if not more so) bad thing.

Read the full article in the April issue of DPA

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.