Internet Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Internet links people together via computer terminals and telephone lines (and in some cases wireless radio connections) in a web of networks and shared software. This allows users to communicate with one another wherever they are in the â€Å"net." This Internet link began as the United States military project Agency Network Advanced Research (ARPANET) during the Vietnam War in 1969. It was developed by the United States Department of Defense’s (DOD) research people in conjunction with various contractors and universities to investigate the probability of a communication network that could survive a nuclear attack. For the first decade that the Internet was in existence, it was primarily used to facilitate electronic mail, support on line discussion groups, allow access to distant databases, and support the transfer of files between government agencies, companies and universities. Today over 15 million people in the United States and approximately 25 million people worldwide access the Internet regularly, including children. Many parents believe that depriving their children of the opportunity to learn computer skills and access the knowledge available on the Internet would give them a distinct technological disadvantage as they enter the twenty first century. Portelli and Mead state by the year 2002, the reported number of children who access the Internet from home is projected to increase from the current 10 million to 20 million (6). In addition to home access, Poretelli and Meads further stated that as of 1997 the percentage of United States schools that offered Internet access as a part of their regular curriculum was over sixty percent. There were over nine thousand public libraries across America in 1997, sixty percent of these offered on-line access to its users (7). In view of this information, one can concluded that the on-line percentage for both schools and libraries has increased notably since 1997 and the number continues to grow as more of these facilities â€Å"plug in and log on." Whether at home, at school, or at the public library, children are accessing the Internet. The word â€Å"children† is somewhat ambiguous considering the range of ages that it encompasses. For instance, eighteen is the normally accepted age at which a child reaches legal adulthood; therefore, â€Å"children† would refer to any age between birth and seventeen. Porterfie... ...n. February 1999. 2 Cummins, H. J. â€Å"War Games - Are Video Games No Different Than Military Training Simulations? Are We Teaching Our Children To Kill ?† Minneapolis Star Tribune. January 1999. 1E Denerstein, Robert. â€Å"Into the Heart of Darkness - Two Killers Lived in Suburbs, But Inhabited Their Own Twilight World.† Denver Rocky Mountain News. April 1999. 31A Durkin, Keith F. â€Å"Misuse of the Internet by Pedophiles: Implications for Law Enforcement and Probation Practice.† Federal Probation. September 1997. 14-18 Groves, Howard. â€Å"Conduct of Life†. Christian Science Monitor. 16 March 1999: 24 CD-ROM. UMI- EBSCOhost. April. 1999 Madden, Lisa. â€Å"What Dangers Lurks Behind that Screen†. New Hampshire Business Review. 15 August 1999: 14 CD-ROM. UMI- EBSCOhost. April. 1999 Sources Cited Portelli, Christopher J. And Mead, Coralie W. â€Å"Censorship and the Internet - No Easy Answers.† Contemporary Women’s Issues. October 1998: 4-8 CD-ROM. UMI- EBSCOhost. April. 1999 Porterfield, Deborah. â€Å"Ask Parents Why They Want a Computer and You’ll Hear...† Gannett News Service. June 1997. CD-ROM. UMI- EBSCOhost. April. 1999 Rushkoff, Douglas. â€Å"Are ‘Screenagers’ Wiser Than Adults ?† USA Weekend. June 1999. 12