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Type of text:
What is this book about? Information text
What does the title mean?
The WorldAt Your
Fingertips by Geneieve Tang
Table of Contents
What is the Internet?
• How does the Internet work?
• How far does the Internet reach?
• How does the Internet work so quickly?
• How big will the Internet become?
What is the difference between the Internet and
the World Wide Web?
• Will the Web replace books?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of
the Web?
How can you protect yourself from danger?
Conclusion
Glossary
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What is the Internet?
The Internet is a worldwide system of computer networks.
It has become a common part of our daily lives.
Everywhere you turn, you can find codes like ‘www’
or ‘.com’ on household products and posters and in
5 magazines and television advertisements.
Once you log on to the Internet, you enter a virtual world,
one that enables you to do things as if you were in the
real world. You can visit places, talk to people anywhere and
find information – all at your fingertips.
How was the Internet invented?
1961computer
An American
scientist discovered a way
1969
to share information from
computer to computer and
called it a network. A One network linked the
network is a group of computers at two American
computers communicating with universities together. Then, many
each other. more networks were developed
in the government, businesses
and at universities.
1974
The name ‘Internet’ was used
1989
for the first time. It connected The World Wide Web was
all the networks together. invented by a British researcher
who developed a way to combine
pictures, symbols, words, columns
and other designs on the same
Web page or website.
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How does the Internet work?
10 To use the Internet, you must be connected to a telephone
line or television cable, and a modem. The modem works
like a translator, changing electronic signals into text and
images which can be recognised by your computer.
However, having a computer, telephone line or television
15 cable, and a modem, does not mean you can connect
to the Internet. You also need to find an Internet Service
Provider (ISP). ISPs are companies that give you access to
the Internet for a fee. There are many ISPs to choose from.
They provide a variety of services: connection speed,
20 email accounts, anti-virus software and technical support.
In some countries including Singapore, ISPs need a permit
from the government to provide services according to
certain guidelines.
How far does the Internet reach?
In the early 1980s, the Internet reached only four
25 locations and had just a few hundred users. The latest
survey in 2009 records about 16 hundred million users
or about 355 times the number of people that live in
Singapore!
In fact, the Internet now reaches every continent. In
30 2007, the Internet reached the computers of scientists
doing research in Antarctica,
a continent at the South Pole.
At about the same time, it was
Kiyoshi Takahase Segundo/123RF
proven that the Internet also
35 reached Canada’s Melville
Islands, a remote area near the
North Pole.
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How does the Internet work so quickly?
Anything you can do on the Internet can be done in a
short span of time. This is possible because the Internet
40 is the connection that allows millions of computers to
send and receive information instantly around the world.
This information travels rapidly by way of telephone or
television cables and satellites out in space.
How big will the Internet become?
By 2020, it is estimated that there will be two thousand
45 million users or more than 400 times the number of
people in Singapore. This means that 30 percent of the
total world population will have access to the Internet.
What is the difference between the Internet and
the World Wide Web?
The words Internet and the World Wide Web or ‘Web’
are often used interchangeably. However, they are not
50 the same. The Web is one of the many popular ways
to access the Internet. It was created using a different
computer language for a specific reason – to share
information.
The Web is a gigantic library with words, pictures,
55 sounds and animations. Not only is it accessible on your
computer, it is now available also on mobile devices and
televisions.
Will the Web replace books?
Some people fear that information
on the Web will replace printed
60 books because many books are
Nagy-Bagoly Arpod/123RF
available for reading online.
However, Web reading will
not replace books. In fact, the
Web has been a good way for
65 booksellers to advertise their books
online through their websites, making
readers more aware of them.
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Besides, not all books are available online for reading.
With the advance of digital printing, many classic
70 hardcover books can now be printed quickly and more
cheaply in paperbacks, making them easier to own.
Furthermore, going to the library remains one of many
enjoyable offline activities for the young and old.
Most young children have their first reading experience
75 with printed books, and many adults enjoy the experience
of holding a printed book and reading at their own pace.
There is also no need to worry that a book will ‘crash’ or
become infected with a ‘virus’ as computers sometimes
do.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Web?
80 The Web is considered by computer experts to be the best
invention in the last 40 years. It has allowed information
to be obtained quickly. It can improve communication
with people across continents. You can use it anywhere in
the world where there is a Web connection.
85 One concern is that you do not actually know or meet
the people you are talking to online. There may be bad
things that you do not know about them. That is why
cyberwellness is important to make sure the Web is used
in a proper and beneficial way.
90 Also, it can be frustrating when there is so much
information with so many users. There can be the problem
of a ‘traffic jam’ on the electronic ‘highway’.
Finally, there is also the worry of your computer either
being infected with a virus or having personal information
95 stolen from it.
What is Cyberwellness?
Cyberwellness is learning to protect yourself and taking
responsibility for your actions to make sure what you do
in cyberspace hurts neither you nor others.
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How can you protect yourself from danger?
• A
void violent and disturbing images, gambling and
shopping online, and believing everything you see. It
may not be true.
• D
o not make friends with strangers who might be
100 using false names.
• N
ever give your email address and other personal
details to people you do not know.
• D
o not participate in cyber-bullying which has become
a serious problem online. Cyber-bullies hurt others
105 by teasing, spreading rumours and sending nasty
messages and even threats by email or in chat rooms,
on blogs or in mobile phone messages.
• D
o not become addicted to the Internet or the Web.
Use it as only one of your many activities.
110 • M
ake sure that you get information online through
reliable sources suggested by your school or your
parents.
• Take frequent breaks from the Web to rest your eyes.
Conclusion
When used safely and in moderation, the Internet and
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the Web provide wonderful services for people at home,
at school and at work. A lot of things you can do online
remain in a virtual or electronic world. It is equally
important to include other activities from the real world
such as sports, outings and dining with family or friends.
120
Your computer cannot substitute for these activities.
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Glossary
addicted B
eing unable to stop doing something
and allowing it to take a major part
of your daily life. An addiction can
affect your school work, health and
other activities.
beneficial Favourable and useful if used in the
right way.
codes Standard sets of rules.
computer scientist An expert who works with computers
using a special language to design
programmes or software and
computer parts or hardware.
continents A continent is a large mass of land.
There are seven continents: Europe,
Asia, Africa, North America, South
America, Australia and Antarctica.
interchangeably Two things or words that are used as
if they are the same.
media Different means of communication
including newspapers, magazines,
radio, television and films.
moderation To use or do something within certain
limits.
reliable Can be trusted; dependable.
satellites Man-made objects which are
launched into space that can receive
messages and send them back to any
place on Earth.
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substitute To replace one thing with something
else.
translator A person or device that can make a
language understandable to those
who do not use that language.
virtual world A copy of the real world created with
computers.
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