The Internet has completing changed our society and our world. The Internet has shaped the way we shop for food, pay our bills and do banking, the way we work, shop, learn, and interact with one another. It has given us the ability to multi-task in ways we would never have thought possible.

The Internet is a giant web of computer networks communicating with one another all over the world. Believe it or not, the Internet was first discovered back in the 1960s. It was used for government and military purposes only.

You might be asking yourself how the Internet works. The network that computers use to communicate is what is called the Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP). As we all know, the Internet is a vast resource for data and information. It is all about how fast we can receive information, which is probably why the military used it.

The Internet’s uses are endless. It is used for business communications, online entrepreneurships, education, shopping, streaming video and media, social networking, making phone calls, email, file sharing and transfers, storing information and data, and even chatting and blogging. By simply typing in an IP address or domain name, the world is at our fingertips.

What’s great about more organizations offering Wi-Fi service to their customers is that the Internet is becoming easier and easier to access. Today cell phones, Blackberries, iPhones, and even iPods all have Wi-Fi capabilities. You can make a call, check your email, and even listen to your favorite artist or band all on one small gadget.

The Internet has made our lives easier and more difficult at the same time. Relying on the Internet TOO much can have its pitfalls. For example, logging on to your bank’s website to make a transfer that you know you need to do and the bank’s website is down for „maintenance“. Trying to purchase items at a store and the store’s credit card machine system is down can be frustrating. Bandwidth usage can also cause issues and can be frustrating for users. Too many people using the same network can make the network run slow and almost nonexistent.

The Internet is like anything else. It can be really beneficial, but too much of it can lead to problems. It is probably safe to say that in another decade or less, we will be able to connect to the Internet from anywhere using any kind of device. With 2011 just beyond the horizon, we can walk into a McDonald’s and check our email or Facebook pages by using a cell phone or iPod.

Many believe that in the future we will no longer have to go to work or school. All business and education will be done solely from a computer. There are already education portals that children and teachers use to communicate with one another on homework, tests, and other projects. There are entire advanced degree programs that are 100% Internet based. It is very easy for people to work from home with external email and VPN access. There are even some companies who let their employees work from home several days per week! It’s not that far off.

Read more at Charles Granere and his admiration for information technology.