The term I chose to write about this week was "Wi-fi." This is a term that I use all of the time, mainly in the context of: "What's your Wi-fi password?" Thinking about how often I say this word, I realized that I didn't know what "Wi-fi" even stood for. Wireless internet is such a basic part of my life that I didn't put much thought into it, unlike adults who were adapting to it at the time of its first relevance. The earliest newspaper article I found containing the word "Wi-fi" was a 2001 New York Times article. The author wrote of "wireless fidelity" and how it was "the next big thing." Other articles I found spoke of the future and how there were soon to be laptop computers connected to Wi-fi that allowed you to work in your office AND your living room! Scholarly journals talked about forecasts of how this would change the workplace. This was interesting to me knowing now how I can take out my laptop in virtually any location on campus and post to my blog. A New York Times 2002 article wrote of the trouble of not knowing if Wi-fi was available. "Geeks" of the time would scribble two back-to-back half circles on the wall to signify they had installed wireless internet in that location. Today, all we have to do is open our cell-phones to see if wireless internet is available and if its not, we can use data on our phones to create internet. Researching this term showed me how much things can change in just over a decade. The futuristic technology of 2001 is one of the most basic parts of my life in 2014. I wonder what's next!
2 comments:
I still remember we needed cables and have to wait for it to connect when I was small, but now I take having wi-fi and its high speed for granted. It is really amazing how technology had improved and changed our lives. I am excited about what will happen next as well!
Crazy that wifi is something that was only starting to be talked about in 2001!
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