APPS INFLUENCE THE INTERNET MORE THAN A CELEBRITY TWITTER BATTLE ROYALE
Tim O’Reilly concedes that “the Web is the ‘adolescent’ phase of the Internet’s evolution and that we are seeing a shift toward a more closed phase in the networked age’s cycles”. What does that mean? Apps.
Arguably, the Internet would be nothing without the first App – a browser from 1991 called WorldWideWeb. The origin to the average user’s net experience can be traced to 1993’s NCSA Mosaic. 1995 brought Netscape 2.0 and made “going online” a common phrase. Since then, the Internet browsing experience has been upgraded, but relatively unchanged – click, click, click.
Then – Wham! Like a text message breakup: Handheld “smart” devices. The Internet started coming to the user. The interface has gone from searching to obtaining. The right App for the right job takes time and energy out of finding what you need. Directions? Google Maps. Hungry? Open Table. Music? Pandora. Want to own your digital identity? Facebook. Anything else? Amazon. The world wide web has been made available piece by piece by iPhone’s App Store and Android’s Market.
The Internet is so broad in its scope that it can not simply disappear. It is the universal tool in our modern age. Surfing the ‘Net will never go away, we are merely changing how we navigate through its endless supply of websites, pop-up ads, and rickrolls. Humans are creatures of comfort and as the need for convenience emerges, so will the corresponding App.
Now to go refresh my homepage – don’t you die on me yet Firefox!
