Definition of Internet: History, Facilities, Value, Advantages, Weaknesses and Benefits

Heri Maulana November 27, 2022

The definition of the internet is a global system, a computer network that is interconnected using a global transmission control protocol/internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) standard system which is used as a packet exchange protocol in serving billions of users around the world.

The internet is short for interconnected network. The internet can also be interpreted as a communication computer network with various types. By using the type of communication such as telephone, satellite and so on.

Understanding the Internet According to Experts

Understanding according to Strauss, El-Ansary, Frost (2003, p8), the internet is a whole network that is connected to one another. Some of the computers on this network store files , such as web pages, that can be accessed by the rest of the computer network.
According to O`Brien (2003, p10), the Internet is a rapidly growing computer network of millions of interconnected business, educational, and government networks with users in more than 200 countries.
According to Allan (2005, p12), The internet is a collection of computer networks that are physically connected to each other and have the ability to read and decipher certain communication protocols called the Internet Protocol (IP) and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). Protocols are simple specifications for how computers exchange information.

Based on the three definitions of the internet above, it can be concluded that the internet is an entire network that is physically connected to each other and has the ability to read and decipher communication protocols with users in more than 200 countries.

History of Internet

The history of the internet originally came from the ARPA project which was formed in 1969 by the United States Department of Defense. The project became known as the ARPANET (Advanced Research Project Agency Network) which conducted experiments on how to connect computers from one computer to another so that they could communicate with each other.

In 1970 the project was able to connect more than 10 computers in the form of a network and a few years later the results of these experiments were developed outside America. Because the number of connected computers was increasing, in 1980 a protocol was created which was officially known as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).

To keep growing the internet today the internet is managed and has been maintained by multilateral agreements and protocols that perform the transfer of data between networks. This protocol was created based on the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) discussions that are open to the public.

The body that has issued a document known as the RFC, namely the Request For Comment, some of the data of which is used as a standard by the Internet Architecture Agency. Internet protocols commonly used are IP, TCP, UDP, DNS, IMAP, SMPTP, HTTPS, SSL, HTTP, LDAP, and others.

For now the internet is very contributing and very big contribution to the development and needs of the world today. With the existence of this internet has erased the boundaries and distance to access information. However, with the development of the internet, it can provide positive (good) and negative (bad) values. So here are some positive and negative values of the internet.

Facilities available on the Internet

Email (Electronic-mail) is electronic mail or messages sent and received via computer.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is one of the internet services for transferring files.
Telnet (Telecommunication Network) is one of the network protocols used to connect to the internet or LAN (Local Area Network).
Gopher is a text-based program that can be used to browse internet menus on various Gopher servers.
WWW (World Wide Web) is a collection of multimedia documents that are interconnected using hypertext links.

Positive Value Of The Internet

For communication media, where internet users around the world can communicate with each other.
Media for exchanging data and information using such as email, ftp, www, and so on.
To search for data or information, millions of stored data and information make the internet the largest library in the world.
Can provide easy information, everything that happens around the world.
For transactions and doing business, there are lots of business opportunities that can be generated via the internet.
For distance education media, many universities are currently opening distance classes where lecture materials and learning activities are carried out online.
And others.

Negative Value Of The Internet

The internet also contains a lot of content related to cruelty and sadism, content like this is usually widely used by site owners to increase site sales.
We often hear about fraud via the internet, the internet can indeed be used as a medium to commit crimes of this kind.
Pornography, the notion that the internet is synonymous with pornography is not wrong. There is a lot of such content that is scattered and gives very poor value to those who access it, such as children.
Gambling, with the existence of internet gambling, you don't have to go to gambling places to carry out activities and all you want to do is visit gambling sites.
Theft, the internet is a medium that can provide convenience for online transactions because it is direct. For example by shopping using a credit card. These criminals can find loopholes during transactions to be able to drain the contents of credit cards without the owner's knowledge.

Advantages and Weaknesses of the Internet

What are the advantages and disadvantages of internet technology itself? For those of you who want to know this in full, then please refer to the discussion as will be explained below:

a. Internet advantage

The following are some of the advantages or benefits that can be obtained from the internet. The benefits of the internet referred to here are divided into 6 parts which are as follows:

The biggest benefit offered from the internet is information. You can find all kinds of information on any subject with the help of search engines like Yahoo and Google.
The main purpose of the internet is communication. In this case it has been done very well, but the infrastructure development process is still ongoing to date, so faster internet access can soon be realized. Communication via the internet can take the form of e-mail, which is electronic mail that can be used to contact someone who is physically thousands of miles away, but in a short time your message will be sent.
Apart from being a means of providing information and communication, the internet is also present as a popular entertainment medium. A wide variety of entertainment including video games, music, movies, chat rooms, news and more can be accessed via the Internet.
Another benefit of the internet is in the field of E-commerce, namely ideas that are applied in all forms of strategic or commercial business transactions that require data transmission via internet media. E-commerce has become a fantastic option where you can shop online regardless of the time of day.
Another function of the internet is as a means of forming communities through online forums. Through online forums a number of people can participate in various types of discussions and debates, through forums, one can also express their views and gather valuable knowledge.
Many other services are also offered via the internet, for example for job search, online banking, buying movie tickets, hotel bookings, consulting, services and so on.

b. Internet weakness

Having a myriad of advantages, of course, the internet is also inseparable from weaknesses. What are the weaknesses of the internet technology, here are some of them:

A common thing that is one of the weaknesses of the Internet is about spamming, namely the distribution of e-mail in large quantities and unsolicited.
Another weakness of the internet is theft of personal information which is highly likely to occur in the realm of the internet. Various personal information such as ID cards, credit cards and so on can be accessed by someone with malicious intent, and this information is used for fraudulent purposes.
Another weakness of the internet is in the area of distribution of pornography which is clearly harmful to your children. There are many porn sites available over the internet.
The spread of viruses is also one of the weak sides of the internet. Computers connected to the Internet have a high potential for virus attacks.

Benefits of the Internet

In general, there are many benefits that can be obtained if someone has access to the internet. The following is part of what is already available on the internet, among others:

Information for personal life, which includes health, recreation, hobbies, personal, spiritual and social development
Information for professional/worker life, which includes science, technology, trade, stocks, commodities, business news, professional associations, business associations and various communication forums.