The Most Important Invention: The Internet

In my opinion, the internet stands as an extremely significant invention due to the dramatic differences of life before and after it was commonplace. The extent to which we rely on the internet in the 21st century exemplifies its impact on our daily life.

In terms of industry changes, we are currently in the midst of dramatic shifts taking place in the music industry (as streaming sites take over traditional one song purchases), the commerce industry (leaders such as Amazon and Alibaba competing with traditional brick and mortar retailers), the film industry (Netflix and Hulu providing television and movies online), and even the taxi industry (ride sharing applications such as Uber and Lyft competing with long-standing taxi companies). While many of these inventions also require subsequent innovations in cloud computing, computing power, and the prevalence of smartphones, the internet stands as the fiber which connects all of these technologies and allows massive user bases to connect at once.

Another significant impact is that the internet has yet to reach its full potential in the educational space, and I believe this makes it even stronger as an influential innovation. Before the internet, tasks such as meeting with friends, buying a rare book,  or learning a new skill were much harder if not impossible. The way we learn, and how we learn are already improving due to online free learning websites such as Khan Academy and Coursera. As more and more individuals gain access to the internet, we will truly see the impact of its ability to connect and empower those that have access.


Thanks for the read --would appreciate your thoughts on any more industries/ways the internet has improved our lives!