| The internet existed in material form before the internet. All the early internet did was make physical locations available non-physically, at first. Once the connection was made (networked) all else unfolded because of now (digital space). What replaced much of the 'connected world' before the internet remained - telephones, newspapers, photography, wires, etc. The advantage over all else wasn't just connectivity; it was a reduction in the time allotted in transmitting that information. From there we realized that we created access to the non-material world whilst remaining firmly planted in reality - transferring much of that material connection into digital connection. What followed isn't fundamentally abstract at all - 1975-1985, '85-'95, '95-'03, '03-'09, '09-'17 and our current period, are all iterations of the same technology being recreated in faster, larger, more accessible ways. However, we humans haven't changed. We haven't evolved in the same time line that technology has. Not that we could or should, but rather we're evolving at a much slower rate that we push technology and in my humble opinion exacerbates the rigid dualities of life changing technologies. We must embrace new ideology in our philosophic approach to technology if we intend to mature new technologies as part of our own evolution. That is, if we truly care about how technology like the internet can and has changed human life. |