Before we look at what the Internet has to offer in terms of SBV we first will take a look at what the Internet and the WWW are and what some of their main characteristics are. What is the Internet …?
The Internet is a “network of networks” that consists of millions of computers around the world that communicate with each other and that are connected to each other by telephone wire, cable and satellite (UNESCO Courier, 2002).“ The Internet does not contain information itself. It is the infrastructure in the background or ‐ in other words ‐ the transport vehicle for the information stored in files or documents on computers that are connected via a global network (Kahn & Cerf, 1999). Computers on the Internet may use various information and services, such as e‐mail, online chat, file transfer or web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web (Wikipedia, 2006).
The Internet was originally intended to share data between a few universities and government agencies (Wikipedia, 2006). Only recent developments in the late 1990s – user‐friendly innovation such as the creation of the WWW and the distribution of free web browsers ‐ transformed the global network to a mainstream phenomenon that is having an increasing impact on our today’s society. And what is the WWW …?
The Internet is not synonymous with World Wide Web. The World Wide Web, or simply the Web or WWW, is only one way of accessing information over the medium of the Internet.
The WWW is an information‐sharing model that is built on top of the Internet. It incorporates various Internet services (Webopedia, 2006) what allows a broad variety of usages such as retrieving or publishing documents, viewing and uploading images or videos, speaking or hearing sound and many other things.
The founding principle of the WWW is a programming language called HTML that makes possible hypertext links. Each web site, document, audio file or anything else that can be found in the WWW has a unique URL (uniform resource locator) that identifies on which computer it can be found. Hypertext links allow connecting web pages, documents and other web applications and making it possible to navigate easily from one site to another by means of a simple mouse click. It was this unique and truly revolutionary capacity of HTML that made the WWW being a huge interconnected database.
The basic idea of the WWW is that it is an information space through which people can communicate by sharing their knowledge in a pool. As Tim Berners‐Lee ‐ who is considered to be the inventor of the WWW – states it: “The Web should be a medium for the communication between people: communication through shared knowledge” (Berners‐Lee, 1997). Thus, following its original intention the WWW “is more of a social creation than a technical one” (UNESCO Courier, 2002).
According to Berners‐Lee (UNESCO Courier, 2002) the WWW has given people greater choice than ever before by simply providing information. The capacity to share their knowledge in a huge information pool and to interact with one another makes the WWW being a powerful tool that has an enormous impact on nowadays’ societies. Some characteristics of the Internet and the WWW There is a wealth of characteristics of the WWW. In the following we only focus on some selected aspects that are relevant when regarding the complex system of web resources that are available in a rather broad field such as SBV.
Constant change
The Internet and the WWW are in constant change, both in terms of the technology or the software used and the various manifestations of Internet culture. The Internet and its architecture have grown in evolutionary fashion, rather than from a grand plan (Network Working Group, 1996). Therefore descriptions and analysis can not be more than a snapshot (what also applies to this chapter that can only describe the situation as it is in late 2006 and make assumptions on developments in new future). Wealth of information
The WWW makes available a wealth of easy to use information. As mentioned previously one of the main characteristics of the WWW is its hypertext structure that allows connecting formerly separated texts and other files to one huge interconnected pool of information. At the same time it’s relatively easy to publish information. However, the fact that the amount of web sites is increasing in an exponential fashion does not only create benefits but also numerous problems as users have to develop strategies that enable them to cope with the information flood. Decentralisation
One of the main characteristics of both the Internet and the WWW is that they are highly decentralized. There is no central server or central authority, anybody can start a server or run a browser. There is rather little structure and much autonomy and freedom single users or whole groups of networked users have (Berners‐Lee, 1998). The decentralisation of the WWW and its openness did not only allow it growing in a remarkable pace but also made it almost impossible to control and to structure. Again, this creates both benefits and problems. The fact that no overall authority controls or structures the WWW provides much room for creativity and democratic processes and gives people a voice that wouldn’t be heard otherwise (or who because of governmental or other restrictions wouldn’t be allowed to state their opinion). At the same time this rather “anarchic” trait of the Internet creates enormous problems, such as difficulties that go along with the easy spread of inappropriate information. Also it makes it relatively easy to abuse the WWW for criminal activities. Interactivity
The Internet and the WWW provide much more than mere information, they also changed fundamentally the way people interact. Internet applications such as e‐mails, newsgroups, discussion boards, instant messaging or recent developments such as blogs or Voice‐over‐IP did not only complement to traditional means of communication, they rather created something new and altered the realms of the reality in which we live (Zhao, 2006). The Internet makes its users being more independent from time and space as they can access it whenever and wherever they want – provided they have online access. With the rise of the Internet new forms of social contacts, social patterns and networks came up like for instance the formation of online communities, groups of users who share similar interests who meet in virtual spaces such as forums or newsgroups.
Anonymity
One characteristic of the Internet that is especially important for users seeking help and advice is that it widely ensures anonymity. As several studies revealed, anonymity is a major factor for the readiness of users who seek help to open up (Barak, 1999; Kummervold, 2002). At the same time users fear violation of their anonymity and privacy. Concerns that a web site or a discussion board is not “safe” make users avoiding it. Though the relative anonymity of the Internet can have a positive impact for users who seek help, anonymity can be also a source of problems as it allows also users to insult others anonymously.
3. WAYS OF USING THE INTERNET AND WHAT IT OFFERS USERS
INTERESTED IN SBV
There have been various attempts for classifying the ways the Internet can be used, all of them having advantages and disadvantages. Following recent studies