January 1, 2013 was the 30th birthday of the modern-day Internet.
The standard computer communication protocol, (TCP/IP), which is still the “common language” used to send and receive information between computers, was officially used for the first time across the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency network on Jan. 1, 1983. It would pave the way for the World Wide Web, just six years later.
Our lives have changed rapidly since that time; can you imagine how different our lives today would be if we didn’t have the internet for shopping, banking, making vacation plans or even just staying in touch with friends?
In honor of this birthday, here are 9 reasons (in no particular order) why I love the internet:
1. It’s a teacher’s favorite toy. Need to liven up your lesson on French art? Just go to the Louvre site, and show your students the real Mona Lisa and some of those Greek and Roman treasures. Want your World Language students to communicate in their target language with students from other countries? The internet will let you do that too, and if you want to save paper, your students can submit their papers via the internet.
2. It’s free (basically). Really, how many things fall into that category these days?
3. It has a magical quality about it. That may be because I’m old enough to remember well the days before the internet. As a freelance writer, I used to spend hours in libraries seeking out information about dyslexia, violence on television, English tea cups or whatever my current topic was. Now I sit at my desk, do an internet search and gather a multitude of information in nano-seconds.
4. It’s more or less democratic. Anyone can post on the internet, and you have, at least theoretically, the same chances of success on the internet as the next person. The opportunities for everyone are waiting to be grabbed.
5. It enables me to stay in touch with friends and family in other countries without paying a fortune. Twenty years ago, phoning home to the UK cost around a dollar a minute, and about fifty percent of the time, the call got cut off or I couldn’t make out what my mother was saying. I don’t miss those phone calls.
6. Gifs. They are fun to look at and sometimes, instead of a lengthy reply to an email, you can send just the right gif, and that says it all.
7. Thousands upon millions of pictures of cats. There may be more pictures of cats on the internet than people on the planet. For example:
Tambako the Jaguar/flickr
8. Shopping. I loathe visiting malls, but with the internet, I can purchase items and some guy drops them off right at my door. Even better – if it’s an ebook, a movie, or a video game, I don’t even have to walk to the door. It just magically shows up on my computer.
Has the internet changed your life? (Assuming you are old enough to remember life before the internet.) If so, is it for the better?
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $115,000 in one-time donations and to add 1365 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy