August 6th 2011 marks a special day in technology history as it is the 20th birthday of the World Wide Web. On August 6th, 1991, a guy by the name of Tim Berners-Lee mentioned a project for organizing information on a computer network using a web of hyperlinks, calling it the WorldWideWeb or W3.
The WorldWideWeb or W3 eventually made its debut as a publicly available service on the Internet. And with that service, we received an outlet to socialize, create millions of jobs across the world, increased our exposure to other cultures and ideas, and create an environment where social interactions can be varied and far-reaching.
With the introduction of the W3, we saw numerous downsides such as online predators and reduced privacy (Facebook anyone?). Aside from the negative, we only have the web to thank for our abilities to vent frustration, spread a message across the globe, or interact with various different cultures and races.
“The original idea of the web was that it should be a collaborative space where you can communicate through sharing information. The idea was that by writing something together, and as people worked on it, they could iron out misunderstanding,” Berners-Lee stated in an interview when he was awarded knighthood for his work.
Lets take this time to remember how far the web has come since 1991. Share your fond memories of the past 20 years in the comments below!
