Internet use

Early forms of the internet began in the 1960s when fears were raised about how the United States government would maintain communication if there were a nuclear attack during the Cold War. A US military group called the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) developed a system that would work even if parts of the system had been destroyed. This was made possible through a system of networking.

By 1969, university computers and researchers began using this system. It wasn't until 1983 however, that the system we now know as the internet was created. Since then, the internet has continued to flourish and evolve dramatically in order to become the medium as we know it today.

In 1997, market research group www.consult estimated that the number of online users in Australia in March of that year was around 800,000. By August 1998, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 1,245,000 households in Australia (eighteen per cent) had internet access from home. In 2000, this rose to 2.7 million (thirty-seven per cent), and by the end of March 2005, this figure had surged to 5.98 million.

Older generations have generally taken longer to understand the uses and advantages of the internet, while younger generations have grown up with it and see it more as a part of everyday life. A 2005 survey by the Australian Broadcasting Authority and NetAlert Limited shows that children are beginning to use the internet from a far younger age as it has become more easily accessible. In children aged eight or nine years, one third of respondants had begun using the internet at the age of five or six, while in those aged twelve to thirteen, the majority had not started using the internet until the age of around nine or ten. Children as young as five are therefore more likely to use the internet before they are able to embrace other traditional forms of media such as print. As time passes, the younger generation of today will be leading the population into an era of digitalisation.

Articles relating to this topic:

Australian Broadcasting Authority and NetAlert Limited. Kids online @ home:Internet use in Australian homes. April 2005.

Boczkowski, Pablo J. DIgitizing the news. 2004.

Internet activity, Australia, March, 2005. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Government, Canberra. 7 February, 2006.

Smith, Lee. A brief history of the internet. Dynamic web solutions. 17 March, 2006.

Use of internet by householders, Australia, Nov. 2000. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Government, Canberra. 7 February, 2006.