What and where is the Internet? (Re)defining Internet histories

ABSTRACT The ways in which historians define the Internet profoundly shape the histories we write. Many studies implicitly define the Internet in material terms, as a particular set of hardware and software, and consequently tend to frame the development of the Internet as the spread of these technologies from the United States. This essay explores implications of defining the Internet alternatively in terms of technology, use and local experience. While there is not a single “correct” definition, historians should be aware of the politics of the definitions they use.

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