Computers in Language, Art, and Communication (continued)

Computers and Communication (continued)

World Wide Web
The appearance of the World Wide Web in 1994 radically changed the culture of the Internet. Cumbersome document retrieval was replaced with "browsing" along hypertext links. Users accustomed to the "plain text" Internet they had experienced through e-mail were suddenly introduced to a multimedia Internet of images, audio, and—eventually—video, animation, and 3-D imagery. The aesthetics of Web design that emerged has become so influential that the graphics of magazine ads and television commercials often mimic webpage forms. URLs (Web addresses) seem to be omnipresent, appearing on candy bars, in church bulletins, and on Frisbee®-style flying discs.

There has also been a rapid growth in the quantity and variety of forms of connectivity (i.e., the ability to connect to a network). As a result, one is likely to encounter e-mail, instant messaging, and Web browsing in an astonishing variety of settings: homes, offices, schools, churches, airports, restaurants, bookstores, and coffee shops (especially so-called cybercafes). The rapid growth of wireless and cellular data systems indicates that "anytime, anywhere computing" may not be an exaggeration for much longer.

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These pages were written by Jeffrey L. Nyhoff and Steven H. VanderLeest and edited by Nancy Zylstra
© 2005 Calvin College, All Rights Reserved.

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