Culture/Society
"In a few years, men will be able to communicate more effectively through a machine than face to face."
- The Computer as a Communication Device, J.C.R. Licklider and Robert W. Taylor
Social networks blossomed when the Internet emerged. They first gained popularity in the early 21st century, heralded by sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Such sites make communication easy and practical. They act as outlets for social activists, supporting thousands of movements.
The world has grown closer together through the Internet. "Connecting computers together was not the thing that made the ARPANET important. Connecting people to computers was important, but far more important was connecting people to people, allowing email exchanges to take place, allowing social networks to rise, democratizing people – the smallest, shortest, dirtiest, ugliest person has as much impact as the richest, most elegant, high-profile person does; everybody has a voice." |
"When people do their informational work 'at the console' and 'through the network,' telecommunication will be as natural an extension of individual work as face-to-face communication is now. The impact of that fact, and of the marked facilitation of the communicative process, will be very great—both on the individual and on society."
- The Computer as a Communication Device, J.C.R. Licklider and Robert W. Taylor