Chapter 2 – Internet, Web, and Electronic Commerce: Complete Bullet-Point Notes
Internet vs. Web
• Internet = global physical network (wires, cables, satellites, routers) first launched as ARPANET in .
• Web (World Wide Web, WWW) = multimedia interface on top of the Internet, introduced in .
• Being online = connected to the Internet’s physical infrastructure; using the web = navigating multimedia resources through browsers.
Generations of the Web
• Web – Search-Centric Era
– Key tech: early search engines that indexed static pages.
– Few creators (required coding); vast audiences.
– Relationship: one-to-many publishing.
• Web – Social Era
– Key tech: social‐media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok).
– Easy user content creation (posts, photos, videos).
– Audiences narrowed to friends/family; many creators.
• Web – Semantic / Contextual Era
– Key tech: semantic web + AI assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant).
– Programs relate disparate data sets (calendar + airline database → flight-delay alert).
– Creator = software; audience = individual user.
• Web – Mobile / Sensor Era
– Extends Web with sensor streams from mobile & wearable devices (GPS, heart rate).
– Ex: Siri merges location + calendar + traffic feed → “Leave early.”
• Web – Emotional Web (emerging)
– Anticipates mood-aware apps that respond to emotional cues.
• Generational overlap: older tech (search engines, social networks) continues to evolve even as newer generations emerge.
Everyday Internet Uses
• Communication (texts, e-mails, photo/video sharing) – the most popular use.
• Shopping – rapidly growing (groceries, fashion).
• Information Search – digital libraries, real-time news.
• Education / e-learning – lessons via phone or laptop, MOOCs, driver’s ed.
• Entertainment – streaming video/music, gaming, podcasts.
Getting Connected
• ISP (Internet Service Provider) – company already online that sells users a path (DSL, cable, fiber, cellular, wireless). Examples: AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint.
• Connection hardware: DSL/cable modems, Wi-Fi routers, cellular radios.
Browsers & URLs
• Common desktop browsers: Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox.
• Mobile browsers: touch-optimised versions of the above (larger buttons, pinch-to-zoom).
• URL (Uniform Resource Locator) structure
– Protocol (e.g., – secure HyperText Transfer Protocol).
– Domain name (e.g., www.mtv.com).
– TLD/Web suffix denotes organisation type: .com (commercial), .edu, .gov, .mil, .net, .org.
• Upon access, server returns HTML file → browser renders as a web page with text, graphics, audio, video.
• Interactive tech stack
– JavaScript: client-side scripts for dynamic behaviour (auto-fill, pop-ups).
– PHP: server-side scripts (forms processing, database access).
– CSS: style sheets that unify look-and-feel across pages.
Web Utilities
• Filters / Parental Controls – block sites, set usage time, log activity (Net Nanny, Qustodio, Circle, Norton Family).
• File-Transfer Options
– Web-based (Google Drive, OneDrive).
– BitTorrent: swarms many peers → efficient for huge files; also used for piracy.
– FTP/SFTP: classic client–server transfer, common for website maintenance.
• Internet Security Suites – bundled tools (antivirus, firewall, spam blocker, parental control) e.g., Norton, Bitdefender.
– Mobile equivalents: Norton Mobile Security, Bitdefender Mobile.
Online Communication Landscape
• ## Social Networking Essentials
– Profile / Page: public face (photo, bio, contact).
– Friends / Groups: personal connections vs. topic-centric communities.
– News Feed: algorithmic stream of posts, comments, ads.
– Share Settings: controls audience scope (public, friends, custom lists).
• Major platforms: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, Tumblr.
• ## Blogs & Microblogs
– Blog: time-stamped entries; longer form; created with Blogger, WordPress.
– Microblog: short mobile posts. Twitter limits tweets to characters; Instagram prefers images/videos.
– Celebrities leverage microblogs (e.g., Taylor Swift’s million Twitter followers).
• ## Podcasts
– Serialized, on-demand audio (The Daily, Joe Rogan, 99% Invisible).
– Consumed via apps (Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify).
• ## Wikis
– Browser-editable collaborative sites; editing is “fast” (Hawaiian wiki).
– Wikipedia = largest multilingual example (millions of articles).
• ## Messaging
– Text/SMS: < chars; MMS adds images/video. Texting-while-driving causes > crashes /yr – more dangerous than drunk driving; illegal in many states.
– Instant Messaging (IM): live chat + video + file share (WhatsApp, FB Messenger, Google Meet). Requires friend/contact list; presence awareness.
• ## E-mail Anatomy
– Header: To/Cc/Bcc addresses + Subject (topic line). Address format = user@domain (e.g., dcoats@usc.edu).
– Message: body content, more formal/longer than texts.
– Signature: auto-appended sender info (title, company).
– Attachment: files appended to the mail.
– Client-based (Outlook, Apple Mail) vs. Webmail (Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook.com).
– Spam = unsolicited bulk e-mail; controlled by CAN-SPAM law + spam-filter software. Viruses often piggyback spam attachments.
Searching the Web
• Search Services maintain databases of page URLs, keywords; updated by automated spiders.
• Search engines (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo) match user keywords → ranked search results.
• Best practice: query multiple engines for comprehensive coverage.
Evaluating Online Content
Authority – Is the author qualified? Official site?
Accuracy – Cross-check surprising statements; beware fake news and deep-fake videos.
Objectivity – Detect bias or hidden agenda.
Currency – Check update dates and working hyperlinks.
Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce)
• Definition: buying/selling goods & services over Internet.
• Pros for buyers: access, global reach. Pros for sellers: no physical store overhead, lean inventory.
• Cons: no instant possession, cannot “try on,” payment-security concerns.
Three Models
B2C (Business→Consumer) – Amazon, online banking, stock trading. Fastest-growing.
C2C (Consumer→Consumer) – peer auctions/classifieds (eBay, eBid, Etsy).
B2B (Business→Business) – manufacturer–supplier pipelines.
Payment & Security
• Challenges: (i) fast, secure payments; (ii) easy address/credit-card submission.
• Options
– Credit Cards – convenient but fraud-prone.
– Digital Currency – Internet cash purchased from intermediaries (Google Pay, Amazon Pay, PayPal, Venmo).
– Cryptocurrency (e.g., bitcoin) – no physical counterpart; secured by public blockchain ledger; peer-to-peer without banks.
Cloud Computing
• Moves storage & processing from local PCs to Internet servers.
• Actors
– Clients: users/corporations needing anywhere-anytime access.
– Internet: transport layer; efficiency depends on bandwidth reliability & secure data transmission.
– Service Providers: Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, IBM, etc. Provide SaaS (software), PaaS (platform), IaaS (infrastructure).
• Example free service: Google Drive Apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides) – browser-based analogs to Word/Excel/PowerPoint.
Internet of Things (IoT)
• Embedding networked sensors/actuators in everyday objects to send/receive data (phones, wearables, thermostats, appliances).
• Fitbit – wristband collects steps, heart rate; syncs to phone/cloud.
• Apple Health App – Web software aggregates Fitbit + other data, analyses & returns personalised health metrics (calories, trends).
• Home examples: Google Nest cameras & thermostats; smart trash cans; adaptive walls (Samsung research).
• Risks: hacking, corporate misuse of personal data, surveillance; trade-off between convenience & privacy.
Look Ahead: Smart Homes & Web
• Future IoT homes will self-recycle, modulate energy use with renewables, reshape rooms on demand, and coach occupant health.
• Ethical questions: Who owns sensor data? How to secure against intruders? Does convenience justify privacy trade-offs?
Career Spotlight – Web Developer
• Role: design, build, maintain websites; manage backups, traffic analytics, promotions; coordinate with marketing.
• Skills: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP; graphic tools (Adobe Illustrator, Dreamweaver); communication & organisation.
• Education: associate or bachelor in CS/IS.
• Salary range: – yearly; growth → management roles.
Key Definitions (Quick Reference)
• ARPANET, ISP, URL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Filter, FTP/SFTP, BitTorrent, Internet Security Suite, Profile, Wiki, Spam, Spider, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, SaaS.
Ethical & Practical Implications
• Content moderation vs. free-speech on social platforms (Twitter bans hateful posts).
• Texting-while-driving laws & tech (phone driving-modes).
• Fake-news amplification via social media; responsibility of sharer vs. platform.
• Cloud computing reliance raises data-sovereignty & outage-recovery concerns.
• IoT privacy: continuous data collection → potential surveillance economy.
Study Tips
• Use multiple search engines & evaluation criteria to verify information.
• Configure browser bookmarks, extensions, and security settings for efficient, safe surfing.
• Practice distinguishing Web – examples in real life.
• Experiment with cloud suites (e.g., Google Drive) to internalise SaaS concepts.
• Audit your own social-media privacy & share settings to understand platform controls.