February 24, 2008
Is the Internet Doomed?
By Max Buzzell
ORLANDO (The DopeyGrumpySneezyVoice) - The Internet has been an interesting little experiment so far: it has served to make a few millionaires, and it has also assured the demise of a few companies that were betting on wrong technologies. We all watched this unfold on television, of course. Some of us have gone so far as placing our personal and charge card information on other people's computers "online." The Computer Security industry is so lucrative and crucial now that all the economies of the world would tank without it. But at this stage we might want to consider who benefits and who looses from the existence of such a frightful phenomenon.
The individual benefits because he or she can shop quickly, with the widest selection, and can easily find the best price. The individual can find all kinds of information much more quickly than, say, taking an afternoon to scour through the local library's collection of books. The individual can network with like-minded individuals, play games, and watch the videos they want to watch, when they want to watch them. The Internet allows many people to work from home. And through the "promise" of net neutrality, the individual can try to compete with the big guys.
But what about other entities:
ISPs: Their customers are sooooooo demanding, and they can charge so very little for whatever it is that they do that 99.9% of ISPs have already dropped out of the business.
Browser Vendors: It has never been possible to charge money for browser software. Netscape has dropped out of the business I don't know how many times. Don't know why Internet Explorer is still maintained by Microsoft, perhaps they see some kind of future in it.
Networking Sites: They spend megabucks on their single largest problem: protecting children from grown ups, and they don't charge their customers a penny. This business model doesn't seem to have much of a future.
The Trolls: The Trolls are those who control the bridge between you and where you want to go. (To bait online users into mischief is a different usage of the word "troll" on the Internet.) Unless you click on a direct link to the place you want to find, the only chance you have of finding what you want is from a Troll. A Troll is either some nice company that lets you know what their URL is via some television advertisement, or they are a search engine company, that lets you sift through their version of what is out there their way. Many Trolls derive their livelihood only from the Internet, but all Trolls are more beholden to big business and big government than to individuals.
Big Business: Little business has poached so significantly via the Internet that they are 1) going out of business, 2) going through mergers and acquisitions, 3) downsizing, 4) starting their own online shops, and 5) moving to other countries in droves.
Big Government: The Internet is just one huge problem for governments everywhere. Apparently, the Internet is the way criminals prey on children, terrorists threaten the free world, and individuals can file for tax refunds. Also, no nation really wants its people getting ideas from . . . other nations.
Big Military: The Internet is just one huge risk. People can find out what they shouldn't, and people can make surprize changes from a distance. The technology is changing so fast it's hard to keep up.
Big Labor: Through the Internet you can buy from the most inexpensive place in the world; all of a sudden that SUV-driving neighbor of yours is getting nervous.
Hollywood, and Big Media: The Internet has been stealing eyeballs for years. Today there is talk of just putting television and movies on the Internet and doing away with broadcast television, newspapers, and movie theatres altogether. Hollywood and Big Media would very much like their eyeballs back.
The Individual (again): Having your identity swiped every couple of months can be quite maddening, and confusing.
Might there be plans in the works to accomplish just that? Let's see. Hmmm. Is anyone other than myself also finding that their "high speed" Internet is so slow that it's not worth the bother? Hmmm. Don't know about you, but I for one am going out jogging. Then I'll watch a little television for just long enough that I can find out what it is that I need to buy. Then I'll go to a bricks-and-mortar store and buy it. Yea. That's the ticket! Damn, I'm such a Capitalist at heart.
At USA Today: Is U.S. stuck in Internet's slow lane?
At the Free Press: The Cost of America's Slow Internet Connection
At AOL News: American Internet - Slow and Over-Priced
At the Fox News: U.S. Falling Into Internet Slow Lane
At Law.com: Video and File Sharing Slow Web Traffic
At Computer World: Undersea cables slow Internet traffic
From the University of Ottawa, Canada: Why the Internet Is Slow
What to do . . .
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