The purpose of the Internet
could be said that it is a new way of connecting to those around the world in
mere seconds. It could also be said that the Internet is a portal for the
latest entertainment. The Internet could also be summed up as the gateway to
new technological information that spreads like wildfire. All those answers I
believe are correct, but the true purpose of the Internet to me is to be a
blank canvas. The Internet is clearly not “blank” because it has coding, hypertexts,
and markup languages. I call the Internet a blank canvas because I believe that
the Internet, just like art, is an expression or application of human creative
skill and imagination
We
can thank the birth of the Internet to Tim Berners-Lee, who created the
World-Wide Web (W3). Now usually when someone creates a product or service they
make money off of it. However Tim Berners-Lee did not copyright the Internet,
but instead released it to the public (Berners-Lee 3). Tim did not want to
charge for the Internet because the more people who used it the more useful the
World Wide Web was. The goal of W3 was to make it popular, and he could not do
that if people had to pay to use it (Berners-Lee 4). How Tim Berners-Lee
distributed the Internet is similar to how an artist distributes his or her
work. For example, lets say our artist named John is a musician. He decides
that he wants to play on King St. in Boone, NC. John sets up his little corner
on the street and starts playing. John does not put a box down on the side to
receive money but simply is just playing so people can listen. John is
expressing his individuality and spreading his art form. I think art as well as
the Internet has given those around the world a voice for everyone to hear.
According
to Bruce Sterling, the first Internet was only used for mail, discussion
groups, long-distance computing, and file transfer (Sterling 4). So why do
people want to be on the Internet? Sterling answers that question with “The
main reason is simply freedom.” (Sterling 3). The Internet gives an individual
an opportunity to express their views, opinions, thoughts, and overall voice.
Blog sites, Tumblr, Facebook, and MySpace are all outlets that allow
individuals to express themselves. These sites are examples of what I mean by
blank canvases. People can create profiles that describe their personalities
and lifestyles for those to see all the way across the globe. They do all this
and can do all this because they have the freedom to do so. When a painter is
working on an art piece they do not think about the dynamics of art, the rules,
or the process. They just do it because they can. Freedom is a powerful thing
and art is one of the most expressionistic things you can do out there, until
the Internet came about. 
When
Pablo Picasso did his first ever painting do you think people instantly loved
it? His abstract paintings were so new and bizarre that people did not know
what to think about them. I personally do not love some of his paintings and
many people feel the same way. Some people do not consider it art but instead
lazy and destroying the very foundation of art. This concept is similar to
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Fire Worship” story. In 1846 Nathaniel writes this story
about the invention of the iron stove and all it’s new attributes (Hawthorne).
Hawthorne however argues against this iron stove because he believes it is
killing our values, culture, and lifestyle (Hawthorne). The views of Picasso
art and Hawthorne’s view of the stove all follow a pattern that can be linked
to the Internet. People do not like change and unfamiliarity. The Internet came
out as something new and fast pace. It was a force of nature that our world had
never experienced before. I am sure that there were those out there who would
refuse to ever use the Internet. I remember when I first started using the
Internet I became frustrated many times and wanted to give up. It was something
different and I did not understand why we had to accept something so
complicated. Art does not have to be enjoyed by everyone. Art, as well as the
Internet, will always receive backlash and complaints, but both will always be
known as something original.
I
cannot draw, sketch, or paint. I cannot build sculptures or create pottery. I
cannot play the guitar or create a symphony. What I can do blog, Pinterest, and
Facebook. Those are my creative outlets. Every time I log onto the Internet I
think to myself what do I want to say? The
Internet is my art form and is the art form of many around the world. I can
share my art with those half way across the globe and I can see the art of
others. Art I think has a very distinct definition to some people such as it’s
being creative by painting, dancing, and playing music. Art now days has a more
modern definition I think. It is being creative by creating something original
with emotion whether that be painting, dancing, or simply posting your latest
Facebook status.
Works
Cited
Berners-Lee, Tim. Weaving The Web.
HarperBusiness, 2000. 1-23. Print.
Hawthorne,
Nathaniel. Fire-Worship. 1846. September
29, 2005.
Sterling, Bruce. “Short History of the Internet.” Magazine of
Fantasy and Science Fiction.
February
1993.
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