VISUAL SUMMARY The Internet, the Web, and Electronic Commerce
INTERNET and WEB INTERNET ACCESS
Google INC.
Internet Piotr Swat/Alamy Stock Photo
Launched in 1969 with ARPANET, the Internet consists
of the actual physical network.
Once connected to the Internet, your computer seemingly
Web becomes an extension of a giant computer that branches
Introduced in 1991, the web (World Wide Web, WWW) pro- all over the world.
vides a multimedia interface to Internet resources. Four gen-
erations: Web 1.0 (links existing information, search Providers
engines), Web 2.0 (creates dynamic content and social inter- Internet service providers connected to the Internet pro-
action, social media sites) Web 3.0 (identifies relationships vide a path to access the Internet. Connection technolo-
between data), Web 4.0 (creates content from data from gies include DSL, cable, and wireless modems.
mobile devices), and Web 5.0 (identifies and responds to
human emotion).
Browsers
Browsers (mobile and desktop) provide access to web
Common Uses resources. Some related terms are
The most common uses of the Internet and the web
include
• URLs—locations or addresses to web resources; two
parts are protocol and domain name; top-level domain
• Communication—the most popular Internet activity. (TLD) or web suffix identifies type of organization.
• Shopping—one of the fastest-growing Internet activi- • HTML—commands to display web pages; hyperlinks
ties. (links) are connections.
• Searching—access libraries and local, national, and Technologies providing interactive, animated websites
international news. include JavaScript (executes on the user’s computer to
• Education—e-learning or taking online courses. trigger interactive features); PHP (operates within HTML
• Online entertainment—movies, news, music, and to trigger interactive features and check online forms);
video games. and CSS (controls the appearance of web pages).
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able to access these resources, to effectively communicate electronically, to efficiently locate information, to understand
electronic commerce, and to use web utilities.
WEB UTILITIES COMMUNICATION
Circle Media Labs, Inc.
Jirapong Manustrong/Shutterstock
Web utilities are specialized utility programs that make Social Networking
using the Internet and the web easier and safer. Social networking sites connect people and organizations
that share a common interest or activity. Common fea-
Filters tures include profiles, pages, groups, friends, news feeds,
Filters are used by parents and organizations to block and share settings. Two well-known sites are LinkedIn
certain sites and to monitor use of the Internet and and Facebook.
the web.
Blogs, Microblogs, Podcasts, and Wikis
File Transfer Utilities Other sites that help individuals communicate across the
File transfer utilities copy files to (downloading) and from web are blogs, microblogs, podcasts, and wikis.
(uploading) your computer. There are three types: • Blogs are typically personal websites to keep in touch
• File transfer protocol (FTP) and secure file transfer with friends and family. Some are like online diaries.
protocol (SFTP) allow you to efficiently copy files Businesses, newspapers, and others also use blogs as a
across the Internet. quick publishing method.
• BitTorrent distributes file transfers across many differ- • Microblogs use short sentences. Twitter allows 280
ent computers. characters per tweet. Instagram is primarily used to
• Web-based file transfer services make use of a web share images and videos.
browser to upload and download files. • Podcasts are audio programs delivered over the Inter-
net. Typically, a podcast is one audio program in a
Internet Security Suite series of related podcasts.
An Internet security suite is a collection of utility pro- • A wiki is a website designed to allow visitors to use
grams designed to protect your privacy and security on their browsers to add, edit, or delete the site’s content.
the Internet. Wikipedia is one of the most popular wikis.
Web Utility Description Category Podcasts
Filter Blocks access to selected sites and sets Arts 99% Invisible
time limits
Comedy The Joe Rogan Experience
File transfer Upload and download files from servers
News The Daily
Internet security Collection of utility programs for security
suite and privacy Science & Medicine RadioLab
Society & Culture This American Life
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COMMUNICATION SEARCH TOOLS
Search Service Site
Bing www.bing.com
Duckduckgo www.duckduckgo.com
Google www.google.com
Yahoo! www.yahoo.com
Search services maintain huge databases relating to web-
site content. The information stored in these databases
includes addresses, content descriptions or classifications,
and keywords appearing on web pages and other Internet
informational resources. Spiders are programs that update
Microsoft Corporation these databases.
Messaging Search Engines
Although e-mail is the most widely used, there are two Search engines are specialized programs to help locate
other messaging systems: information. To use, enter a keyword or phrase, and a list
• Text messaging, also known as texting and SMS (short of search results is displayed.
message service), is a process of sending short electronic
messages, typically fewer than 160 characters. Texting Content Evaluation
while driving is very dangerous and illegal in several states. Not all information you find on the web has been sub-
• Instant messaging (IM)—supports live communication jected to strict guidelines to ensure accuracy. Many sites
between friends. Most instant messaging programs allow anyone to post new material, sometimes anony-
also include videoconferencing features, file sharing, mously and without critical evaluation. Some sites pro-
and remote assistance. mote fake news (inaccurate or biased information) and/or
deep fake videos. Many fake news sites are designed to
look like legitimate news sites.
E-mail To evaluate the accuracy of information found on the
E-mail (electronic mail) is the transmission of electronic web, consider the following:
messages. There are two basic types of e-mail systems:
• Authority. Is the author an expert? Is the site official
• Client-based e-mail systems use e-mail clients or does it present one individual’s or organization’s
installed on your computer. opinion?
• Web-based e-mail systems use webmail clients located • Accuracy. Consult other reputable sources to verify
on the e-mail provider’s computer. This is known as surprising claims. Fake news articles often reference
webmail. other fake news articles.
A typical e-mail has three basic elements: header • Objectivity. Is the information factual or does the
(including address, subject, and perhaps attachment), author have a bias? Does the author appear to have
message, and signature. a personal agenda to convince or form a reader’s
opinion?
• Currency. Is the information up to date? Does the site
specify when information is updated? Are the site’s
dcoats@usc.edu links operational?
Spam is unwanted and unsolicited e-mail that may
include a computer virus or destructive programs often
attached to unsolicited e-mail. Spam blockers, also known as
spam filters, are programs that identify and eliminate spam.
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ELECTRONIC COMMERCE INTERNET of THINGS
Rohane Hamilton/Shutterstock
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a continuing development
of the Internet allowing everyday objects embedded with
Denys Prykhodov/Shutterstock electronic devices to send and receive data over the Inter-
net. Objects include cell phones, wearable devices, and
even coffeemakers. For example:
Electronic commerce, or e-commerce, is the buying and
• The Fitbit is an IoT device (bracelet) that monitors
selling of goods over the Internet. Three basic types are
health data and sends that data to a cell phone or
• Business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce, which personal web page.
involves sales from business to the general public.
• Apple’s Health App is a Web 3.0 application that can
• Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) commerce, which access Fitbit data, combine it with other related health
involves sales between individuals. Web auctions are data, analyze the data, and report back to you through
similar to traditional auctions except buyers and sellers a cell phone.
rarely, if ever, meet face to face.
The Apple Health App reports provide information
• Business-to-business (B2B) commerce, which involves about users’ health, including heart rate, steps taken each
sales from one business to another, typically a day, and an estimate of daily calories burned.
manufacturer–supplier relationship.
Security
The two greatest challenges for e-commerce are the
development of
• Safe, secure payment methods. Two types are credit
cards and digital currency. Bitcoins exist only on the
Internet.
• Convenient ways to provide required information.
CLOUD COMPUTING
Cloud computing shifts many computer activities from
the user’s computer to other computers on the Internet.
The three basic components to cloud computing are Dragon Images/Shutterstock
• Clients—corporations and end users.
• Internet—provides connection between clients and CAREERS in IT
providers. Web developers develop and maintain websites and web
• Service providers—organizations with computers resources. A bachelor’s or associate’s degree in computer
c onnected to the Internet that are willing to provide science or information systems and knowledge of com-
access to software, data, and storage. mon programming languages and web development
software are required. Expected salary range is $52,000 to
$82,000.
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KEY TERMS
address (32) MMS (multimedia messaging service) (37)
Advanced Research Project Agency mobile browser (32)
Network (ARPANET) (26) news feed (35)
attachment (39) online (27)
bitcoin (42) page (35)
BitTorrent (33) podcast (36)
blog (36) PHP (32)
browser (31) profile (35)
business-to-business (B2B) (41) protocol (32)
business-to-consumer (B2C) (41) search engine (40)
cable (31) search service (40)
cascading style sheets (CSS) (32) secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) (34)
client-based e-mail system (39) share settings (35)
cloud computing (43) signature (39)
consumer-to-consumer (C2C) (41) SMS (short message service) (37)
cryptocurrency (42) social networking (35)
deep fake (40) spam (39)
desktop browser (32) spam blocker (39)
digital currency (42) spam filter (39)
domain name (32) spider (40)
downloading (32) subject (38)
digital subscriber line (DSL) (31) texting (37)
e-commerce (41) text messaging (37)
e-learning (27) top-level domain (TLD) (32)
electronic commerce (41) tweet (36)
electronic mail (38) Twitter (36)
e-mail (38) uniform resource locator (URL) (32)
e-mail client (39) uploading (33)
Facebook (36) virus (39)
fake news (40) web (26)
file transfer protocol (FTP) (34) Web 1.0 (26)
filter (33) Web 2.0 (26)
friend (35) Web 3.0 (26)
group (35) Web 4.0 (27)
header (38) Web 5.0 (27)
hyperlink (32) web auction (41)
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) (32) web-based e-mail system (39)
Instagram (36) web-based file transfer service (33)
instant messaging (IM) (37) webmail (39)
Internet (26) webmail client (39)
Internet of Things (IoT) (45) web developer (45)
Internet security suite (34) web page (32)
Internet service provider (ISP) (31) web suffix (32)
JavaScript (32) web utility (33)
link (32) wiki (37)
LinkedIn (36) Wikipedia (37)
location (32) wireless modem (31)
message (39) World Wide Web (26)
microblog (36) WWW (26)
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MULTIPLE CHOICE
Circle the correct answer.
1. When the Internet launched, it was a network called:
a. DSL c. ARPANET
b. LAN d. CSS
2. This Internet activity is associated with sending and receiving e-mails.
a. shopping c. e-learning
b. communicating d. online entertainment
3. The physical network that is the world’s largest network is called:
a. the World Wide Web c. ARPANET
b. the Internet d. SFTP
4. This generation of the web that brought about social media.
a. Web 1.0 c. Web 3.0
b. Web 2.0 d. Web 4.0
5. An example of a micro-blogging site is:
a. Facebook c. Twitter
b. TikTok d. Microsoft
6. The most common way to access the Internet is through a(n) __________.
a. cell phone c. SFTP
b. ISP c. TikTok
7. Transmission of electronic messages over the Internet.
a. Web 3.0 c. hyperlink
b. B2B d. e-mail
8. Two popular instant messaging services are WhatsApp and Facebook __________.
a. Social c. Messenger
b. Meet d. ISP
9. A business-oriented social networking site.
a. TikTok c. LinkedIn
b. Instagram d. Facebook
10. Electronic commerce involving individuals selling to individuals.
a. B2C c. B2B
b. C2C d. I2I
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MATCHING
Match each numbered item with the most closely related lettered item. Write your answers in
the spaces provided.
a. HTML 1. The name for using a file transfer utility software
b. service providers to copy files to your computer from specially
configured servers on the Internet.
c. Internet
d. protocols 2. Using a keyword, a search engine returns a list of
related sites known as _______.
e. Twitter
f. digital currency 3. This is the Internet’s equivalent to traditional cash.
g. downloading 4. The continuing Internet development that allows
h. groups objects to send and receive data over the Internet.
i. web-based 5. On social media, communities of individuals who
j. hits share a common interest typically create _______.
6. The type of e-mail account that does not require
an e-mail program to be installed on a user’s
computer.
7. A very popular microblogging site.
8. The network that connects computers all over the
world.
9. The rules for exchanging data between computers.
10. Three basic components to cloud computing are
clients, Internet, and _____.
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