Abbate 1999

Abbate, Janet. Inventing the Internet. MIT Press, 1999.

Introduction

The history of the Internet is not, therefore, a story of a few heroic inventors; it is a tale of collaboration and conºict among a remarkable variety of players.

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In telling the story of the Internet, I also try to ªll a gap in historical writing about computers. Much of the literature on the history of computing has focused on changes in hardware, on the achievements of individual inventors, or on the strategies of commercial ªrms or other institutions. 2Relatively few authors have looked at the social shaping of computer communications.

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In this book I hope to cross the divide that exists between narratives of production and narratives of use. I demonstrate that the kinds of social dynamics that we associate with the use of networks also came into play during their creation, and that users are not necessarily just “consumers” of a technology but can take an active part in deªning its features. Indeed, the culture of the Internet challenges the whole distinction between producers and users. I also try to provide some historical grounding for cultural studies of the Internet by documenting the events and decisions that created the conditions of possibility for the Internet’s current status as a popular communication medium and the associated social experi- ments in cyberspace.

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Perhaps the ºuid, decentralized struc- ture of the Internet should be viewed as typical of late-twentieth- century technological systems, as it exempliªes both the increased complexity of many “high-tech” ªelds and new forms of organization that favor ºexibility and collaboration among diverse interest groups.

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Communications media often seem to dematerialize technology, presenting themselves to the user as systems that transmit ideas rather than electrons. The turbulent history of the Internet may be a reminder of the very real material considerations that lie behind this technology and of their economic and political consequences.

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My account of the origins of the network demonstrates that the design of both the ARPANET and the Internet favored military values, such as survivability, ºexibility, and high performance, over commer- cial goals, such as low cost, simplicity, or consumer appeal. These values have, in turn, affected how the network has been managed and used.

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At the same time, the group that designed and built ARPA’s networks was domi- nated by academic scientists, who incorporated their own values of collegiality, decentralization of authority, and open exchange of infor- mation into the system.

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I argue that much of the Internet’s success can be attributed to its users’ ability to shape the network to meet their own objectives.

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A network architecture designed to accommodate a variety of computing technologies, combined with an informal and inclusive management style, gave the Internet system the ability to adapt to an unpredictable environment.

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The Internet’s identity as a communication medium was not inher- ent in the technology; it was constructed through a series of social choices.

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