THE INTERNET TAPESTRY |
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Few contemporary influences in today’s lifestyles are as daunting as the so-called Information Superhighway a.k.a. INTERNET. I know. I was drug kicking and screaming into this realm at the tender age of 40 in order to hold on to a new job a couple of years ago.
The INTERNET had its inception as a small network of networks supporting a project by the Advanced Research Projects Agency to link federal and academic research institutions with government agencies. The net grew and with the advent of faster computers and telecommunications equipment along with graphically pleasing viewers, has spawned a new era in the information age. E-mail addressees and World Wide Web sites abound, as well as the confusion as to how to get on the net and what does it mean to one personally and professionally.
Of the 20 to 30 million INTERNET users it has been estimated that about 70% are male. There does appear, however, appear to be a gradual increase in the percentage of women using the INTERNET.
One new presence on the INTERNET is the Women’s INTERNET Council (WIC). The mission of WIC is to establish a point of presence for women working with the INTERNET. Recognizing the new global culture being facilitated by the INTERNET, WIC works to help establish a new paradigm that will allow the INTERNET to be a truly global community not dominated by one gender or one racial/social or economic group.
"We are birthing a new culture, one focused on communication and sharing between citizens. Many changes in the way we do business as well as the way we view family, education, art and community, will take place as we see this new global culture come into being."
This article was published in the Emerald Ladies Journal in 1997