Transformation of Media Forms - The theory of Evolution from paper to the internet :: essays research papers fc

Transformation of Media Forms The theory of evolution from paper to the internet The theory of evolution must ‘evolve’ with the transforming media forms around it to maintain its scientific and social relevance. In other words, it must shift from the conventional media forms such as journals, books and publications and move towards the ways of the internet. Even collective groups of scientists and evolutionists can be shifted from physical to online gatherings via the ways of the internet and its related technologies. The majority of internet users throughout the world see the net as simply an enormous link-up of the world’s computers, after all, this is the ‘universal answer’ people tend to give when asked â€Å"what is the internet?†. Although this common answer is a pretty accurate image, it would be more correct to describe the internet as a â€Å"global network of hardware and software which stores and transports information from a content provider to an end user† . This infrastructure allows any person who wish es to say anything, access to say it to the world. Controversial topics are abundant on the World Wide Web, and this media form enables these topics to be discussed, investigated, or challenged. Evolution is defined as being: â€Å"A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form†. Arguments for evolution include The Fossil Record, Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection, and Biological Evidence. Arguments against evolution include The Second Law of Thermodynamics, Things Never From Other Living Things, Complex Systems Never Evolve Bit by Bit, and then there are the Christian-derived theories such as Why are jellyfish fossils evidence against Evolution? . The internet’s foundations can be traced back to its beginnings in the US military. In 1957 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) launched Sputnik, the first artificial earth satellite. In response, the United States formed the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) within the Department of Defence (DoD), to establish a U.S. lead in science and technology applicable to the military. The U.S. DoD was curious as to how it could maintain its command and control over its missiles and bombers, after a nuclear attack. The plan was to develop a military research network that could survive a nuclear strike, and which was decentralized so that if any cities in the U.S. were attacked, the military could still have control of nuclear arms for a counter-attack. This was the first step in the development of the internet, as we know it today.