The Internet has turned 40. According to Internetworldstats.com, globally there are nearly 1.7 billion Internet users. The fastest growth rates have come from the Asian countries. China leads with 330 million, followed by the U.S. with 220 million. India has only 80 million users and a population penetration of a meagre 7 per cent.

A number of researchers and scientists made INTERNET possible. Tim Berners-Lee, currently a Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology invented the World Wide Web (WWW) to serve the scientists at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, or CERN. Professor Berners-Lee and CERN relinquished all intellectual property rights to WWW software and related technologies for the greater good. If he has chosen to patent and exploit, He would have earned billions of dollars. But, the scintillating expansion of this new world would have not been possible.

Despite trivialization, internet is the most important of medium for exchange of information  and knowledge. About 25 percent of world’s population is today the net users. This represents a growth of 360 percent over the year 2000.

There is much more technological innovation waiting to happen in the world of internet. This indicates the unimaginable potential for expansion of internet in the world. With the mobile telephone becoming a source for online access   and the improvements in the computer hard ware, internet expansion will be made much more easier and faster. Meanwhile, the cost of telecommunications is rapidly falling which would also contribute to the growth of net access. However, internet faces several challenges today.

The scholars point out to the fact that lack of internet neutrality   is a barrier for its healthy growth. The increasing presence of proprietary networks, the unwillingness of service providers to allow the free flow of various forms of data traffic are discouraging both use and innovation. The internet is a truly democratic medium. Anybody can create content on internet. But, this is affecting the authenticity and verifiability of information on the net. Several users of net often complain overload of information making it difficult to find right kind of information at the right time. The internet also allows centralization and control of information and knowledge. The cult of amateur is undermining the credibility of internet. However, we cannot leave cyber world to the experts only. On the other hand internet faces serious security threats .The hawkish behaviour and spamming, unethical practices and childish tendencies are on the rise on internet. The humanity is yet to discover the means to use this highly creative space for the overall good of humanity. The phenomena of cyber sex and cyber crime are cause of great concern.

Developing countries including India are still far from empowering their people through the internet. Improved and accessible bandwidths, cheaper computer hardware, further penetration of low cost telecommunication would bring the benefits of internet to the unconnected millions. But, the rate with which this medium is expanding provides the confidence that this will happen soon.  40 years after, the internet has changed the world. But, this is only a beginning.

In just 40 years, the internet has given us e-mail, instant messaging, social networking, blogs, video streaming, and instant access to the mind-boggling quantities of information on anything you like. The internet as a medium is more egalitarian, cheaper, easily accessible, borderless, faster etc. Tele education and, tele medicine show the great potential net can do for the benefit of people. The internet has redefined the concept of entertainment. Even the more serious human activities like governance also underwent a significant change with the use of internet and intranet. The world of commerce is also no exception to the impact of internet. Even the marriages are finalized via internet. Socialization for the net generation is completely different experience. None can impede the onward march of internet.

But, the internet has to overcome the steep digital divide that exists in the world. There are significant inequalities, in the use of internet between rich and poor countries, rich and the poor within a country, old and young, male and female, urban and rural etc. The egalitarian medium would become truly egalitarian only if this digital divide is bridged.