Internet

Those of you in Generation Z may especially appreciate this video:




Description/Rough transcript: In a news clip from 1994, Katie Couric, Bryant Gumbel, and another newscaster (who I'm not familiar with) try to make sense of the newfangled internets.

First, they speculate on how to pronounce the "@" symbol. Then, Gumbel notes how weird it is that a link to violence@nbc.ge.com is basically saying there's violence "at" NBC. Sort-of annoyed, he scoffs "What is the inter-net anyway?"

Couric explains, "Internet is that massive computer network. The one that's becoming really big now."

Gumbel asks, skeptically, "What do you mean?... What, do you write to it, like mail?"

Couric, looking perplexed, tries to explain, "No, a lot of people use it, they can communicate with NBC writers..." She looks for help off-camera and says, "Allison, can you explain what internet is?"

A man off-camera explains that the internet is a "computer billboard," and the unidentified reporter chimes in to add that a lot of people used "internet" to communicate with loved ones during a recent earthquake when the phone lines were down.

Couric asks, "You don't need a phone line to operate internet?"

Unidentified reporter says, "Apparently not."



I think what I like most is how they keep calling it "internet." Just internet.