We have addressed how the internet and politics affect one another in many different ways during this quarter. Though we have highlighted many areas of concern we have also discussed many methods used to improve the way government works, organizations grow and thrive, and individual citizens improve their voice within our democracy. One theme we have constantly touched on is how much has changed over time. Consider the following:
2 months ago: you started this class
4 months ago: Obama reelected
5 months ago: Facebook tops 1 billion users
2 years ago: Arab Spring spreads, Occupy movement
3 years ago FCC Open Internet Ruling
4 years ago: Green Revolution in Iran, TEA Party movement begins, Google starts personalizing searches
5 years ago: Obama elected with most innovative web based campaign in history
7 years ago: most people had never heard of Barack Obama, Twitter begins
8 years ago: YouTube and flickr
9 years ago: Howard Dean presidential campaign
10 years ago: Facebook starts (for college students only for a few years)
11 years ago friendster
12 years ago: wikipedia
13 years ago: innovative uses of campaigning online
15 years ago: MoveOn.org started, also this thing called Google
19 years ago: Clinton launches first White House website
20 years ago: Web browsers were invented ushering in the modern web
24 years ago: Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web (and HTML)
27 years ago: Internet begins to transition to commercial system
44 years ago: ARPANET established linking four universities
46 years ago: packet switching proposed by Lawrence Roberts
51 years ago: Licklider begins investigating computer networking
53 years ago: first televised debate - JFK vs. Nixon
60 years ago: television becoming commonplace across America
80 years ago: fireside chats begin
88 years ago: radios enter homes in record numbers
94 year ago: Woodrow Wilson was the first president broadcast on the radio
100 years ago: all mass media was still in print
237 years ago Common Sense was published and sold over 100,000 copies - most in American history
563 years ago: The printing press was invented
The point: much has changed, and often in a short period of time. For an ongoing look into constant news you might want to follow
Techpresident.com, the best place on the web for this type of news. Looking forward what do you predict will be the most important ways that the internet and new media will impact politics (and vice versa) five, 10, or even 20 years from now? What can and should be done to help make these changes as positive as possible?
