Introduction
It is essential to note that the Internet is a system of connection and, simultaneously, an information system of communication between people. At the moment this concept can be defined in many terms. For example, the Internet is a global network that unites a huge number of computers across the globe and enables access to information resources. Thus, it is important to establish the origin and development of the Internet, including its commercial use.
The Origins of the Internet and the World Wide Web
The emergence of the Internet stimulated the development of new information technologies, leading not only to changes in people’s minds but also in the world as a whole. The history of the modern Internet dates back to the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPAnet). It began in 1966 when Larry Roberts proposed a network without a central computer. The man came with his designs to DARPA, and two years later, four stations were already working together. More than that, another year after the first Request for Comment (RFC) was adopted. In 1972, the world was presented with a network of forty machines, and ten years later, the ARPA protocols were formed into the TCP/IP family (Comer, 2018). However, the birth year of the Internet is considered 1986; in that year, the six major IP networks in the U.S. united into a single academic network NSFNET. Similarly, in 1992, appeared World Wide Web (WWW), its author Tim Berners-Lee, who created the network on pure enthusiasm in the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) (Comer, 2018). This technology, unknown to anyone, resulted in more than a million connected servers in a year.
Commercial Use of the Internet
Recently, the Internet has been used exclusively as a global medium for exchanging information. However, more recently, the capabilities of the Internet, primarily due to the emergence of the WWW, have set the stage for doing business on the Internet (Schneider, 2017). It is also important to note that the Internet has helped develop the network economy as a business or economic activity based on horizontal, direct long-term relationships between all actors involved in collaborative activities in the information and communication environment of the Internet. Moreover, the leading market sectors or models of interaction of market participants in computer networks are b2b and b2c. Thus, b2c successfully uses technology for commercial purposes, and the first appeared retail electronic stores.Meanwhile, b2b is a business model of interaction between companies (Schneider, 2017). E-commerce covers business areas such as trade through virtual stores, web showcases, shopping malls, provision of services, electronic advertising, and marketing. Additionally, companies and entrepreneurs conduct direct online sales of material and informational goods and services from virtual warehouses and stores.
Internet Growth Over Time
In order to demonstrate the growth in popularity of the Internet, it is necessary to insert statistical data. It is essential to establish the number of Internet users worldwide; at the beginning of 2022, the Internet audience reached 4.95 billion users (Seel, 2022). Currently, 62.5% of the world’s population uses the Internet. Also, in January 2022, there were 4.62 billion social network users worldwide. That is 58.4% of the world’s population, and the global social media audience grew by more than 10% over the past 12 months (Seel, 2022). These figures provide valuable context for understanding the volume of digital adoption and growth.
Conclusion
Thus, the emergence of the Internet has facilitated a greater exchange of information between people. As a result, it stimulated the development of e-commerce and trade. Accordingly, today the Internet is a full-fledged platform where companies interact with each other or cooperate with customers offering them goods and services. Moreover, in recent years there has been a significant development of the Internet, because the number of users who use the World Wide Web has significantly increased.
References
Comer, D. E. (2018). The Internet book: Everything you need to know about computer networking and how the Internet works. Chapman and Hall/CRC.
Schneider, G. (2017). Electronic commerce. Cengage Learning.
Seel, P. B. (2022). Digital universe: The global telecommunication revolution. John Wiley & Sons.