by Nathan Ledeaux

Created on: September 08, 2009

Without a doubt the Internet is still evolving just as most of the things in our world are, but evolution does not imply innovation. The basis of the Internet is still the same as it was four decades ago, a mechanism to convey information from one party to another. Many variations on this basic purpose have been discovered and exploited, leading to; social networking sites, auction sites, email, wiki's, media sharing sites, and many others. However none of these environments represent true innovation. The basis of all these activities is the transfer of information from one group to another an activity that has been occurring between humans before the dawn of time. While the mechanism of transferring this information has indeed evolved and become more efficient, there has never been any true innovation within the Internet or the many resources which it has spawned.

We cannot deny that the way people conduct their lives has significantly changed with the introduction of the Internet. However we must remember that it is the human who causes innovation, innovation is an adaptation of a factor in our environment to make said factor usable or advantageous to us. Innovation is not present in the tool, but in its user. Therefore the person who utilizes the Internet for his convenience, pleasure, or monetary gain is the true innovator. These are the Daniel Craig's, Pierre Omidyar's, and Ray Tomlinson's of our world. As they have manipulated a tool in a new way that has allowed them to create a new experience that did not previously exist.

There will always be people who strike it rich selling on Ebay, creating a social networking site, or writing yet another Iphone application. But in the end all we are doing is reusing tools that our ancestors have developed so many years ago. Transfer of information is key to the human existence; it links us with our fellow man, allowing us to share fears, dreams, and ideas. The transfer of information has brought meaning to our existence as humans, allowing us to influence those around us. The Internet is a facilitator of that key need, not a provider; therefore it cannot provide any true innovation. Is it too late for the Internet however? I believe it is far too early to say, none of us had any idea of the extent the Internet would affect our lives several years ago. As what was previously a tool used for sporadic communication has become a daily resource for a vast majority of Americans. None of us can tell what the future truly holds, but my prediction is that the Internet will evolve and grow, but when stripped down to its base components I believe it will be exactly the same.

Learn more about this author, Nathan Ledeaux.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.