Berners-Lee’s article on the Web as a commodity sheds light on how the Web operates while also giving insight into the sociopolitical dimensions of the Web. He discusses accessibility on the Web for disabled groups and emphasizes the free aspect of the Web, as it allows people the freedom to use it as they see fit. However, Berners-Lee also outlines the threats to Web freedom, including government censorship and competitive practices of Internet Service Providers (ISPs). These practices by the government and private corporations are by nature manipulative, as these larger institutions have control over what people might see on the Web. Not only this, but Berners-Lee’s article raises questions about public knowledge access, as there are many databases of articles and scholarly journals that are not available to the public. While Berners-Lee does not touch upon sites charging people for access, this makes me wonder what he thinks about public access to information.
On a more structural note, Ingrid Burrington’s “The Internet Is Everywhere” is a sentimental piece about the physical structures that make up the Internet. We take for granted the Internet (especially those of us who grew up with it) because we cannot fathom life without it. As such, I had never thought much about the physical aspects of what makes the Internet the Internet. Burrington’s piece highlights the little things, the underground sites where cables are buried in the middle of nowhere, as opposed to large electrical landmarks. This article is an anecdotal experience about something commonly regarded as scientific rather than evocative.