After reading Tim Berners Lee’s “Long Live the Web”, the metaphor that came to mind is the internet as a special society. We, the Web’s users are all members of this society. And every one of us is responsible for the future development of this society. The Web as “an application that runs on the Internet” therefore plays an important role. This Internet soccer is different from other communities since it doesn’t have any boundaries. People can use the Internet as long as they have access to it. And all the members are linked through data (or information). The open standards and the principle of universality allow the Web to work no matter what language or connection people use, giving the Web developers and users enough space of freedom.
The threats to the Internet is also closely related to the precious freedom. The censorship on the Internet, the interference on the Internet traffic and the walled-off system (like iTunes) are all factors undermining the rights of the Web users. These are not potential or future threats but things that are happening around us. For example, data company Cambridge Analytica uses private data on Facebook has affected millions of Facebook users. Censorship on the Internet blocks people from accessing information. The empowerment of the web is a double-edged sword which can be used to spread the knowledge to a wide range but also do harm to people worldwide. That’s why it’s the responsibility of all the web users — not just the web developers — to protect the Internet environment. How to do is another question. Protect the principles like universality and open standards are one of the priorities. Meanwhile, the Internet is a grey area due to the complicated countries and issues involved, which makes the legislation more difficult. How to balance freedom and regulation is also a question.
“A Network of Fragments” by Burrington offering insights into the Internet infrastructure approaches the Internet society from the physical world. Unlike other countries, the Internet is abstract and even the infrastructures that build the network of the internet are made up of pieces. The fiber, towers are all existing as small units. What’s magical about the internet may be the way these small points connect into a huge network with such a big impact.