The commercialisation of the internet: Past, present and future

This is branded content.

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Google.

For many of us, this is what the internet is today - a collection of large tech brands and corporations that profit from our engagement.

With every scroll, every click on an ad, and every tap to purchase, the internet is by no means as 'free to use' as it may have once been in the past.

This digital consumerism has gotten so invasive that many of us have even invested in an ad blocker to keep third-party ads (and any potential malware that they may be carrying) firmly at bay.

But exactly how 'free' was it before the rise of Google or social media?

Truth be told, the internet has been a commercialised space for over two decades now, even if we may not have seen it before.

And although the internet was around as early as the 1960s, its widespread commercialisation didn't actually start here.

So where did it begin?

Today, we go back through the digital and information ages to construct a timeline of the internet as a commercial product.

Read on to immerse yourself in the innovations that led to where we are today, and to get a sense of what else may come.

The birth of internet service providers ('ISPs') could be called the beginning of the internet's commercialisation.

After all, the whole role of ISPs was to provide internet access via a monthly subscription.

One of the world's first ISPs was AOL, or America Online, which launched in 1985 and first started serving customers in 1989.

Although the internet was around for about 20 years before the launch of AOL, there were two crucial pieces of technology missing from the equation.

The first thing that we needed to really get America online, was the ability to build and access websites that weren't just text files.

The widespread release of Hypertext Markup Language (or 'HTML') in May 1993 finally allowed websites to incorporate audio, video and other graphic elements instead of just pure text.

Tim Berners-Lee, the father of HTML, allowed the internet to grow from less than 100 servers to a whopping 10000 servers by December 1994.

But one other innovation paved the way for this influx of servers.

In early 1993, we were still lacking the technology to transmit stronger connection signals over vast distances.

It wasn't possible for all of America to really go online if they didn't even have access to the internet.

This problem was promptly solved by a telecommunications company called Ciena, who developed an all-optical amplification technology.

This technology (also called 'wavelength division multiplexing') allowed for stronger bandwidth signals to be transmitted across the country.

With this technology in place, the internet could be accessed by billions of people in America and beyond.

Anyone who avidly follows Google doodles may already know that Google was founded on September 4, 1998.

At this point in time, however, Google was just one of many search engines.

So what set this engine apart from its sea of competitors?

While other search engines based their search results on the frequency of search terms appearing on a website, Google decided to look at the number of inbound links to that website instead.

The logic was simple: a high-quality website would be one that many other web users would be linking to.

This new model of deciding quality based on backlinks transformed the way we build 'value' on the World Wide Web.

Using shortcuts like copy-pasting white text onto a white background was no longer an option for those who wanted to appear on search results.

Bloggers and web managers had to put in more effort to garner traffic online.

And their efforts were well-rewarded, as more web traffic meant the opportunity to earn ad revenue on your website or even partner with brands.

In this way, Google ads allowed bloggers the opportunity to earn money on the internet.

And where money could be earned, money could also be spent.

Social media followed a similar trajectory here, as websites like MySpace and Facebook built engagement by providing user profiles.

With more internet users flocking to social media platforms, the sheer commercial potential of these spaces could not be ignored.

They were (and still are) inherently hubs where our attention is guaranteed.

But one final piece of the puzzle makes digital advertising so effective: data.

The ability to run targeted ad campaigns that have been developed through data analysis has made it easier than ever for brands to speak directly to their consumers.

And consumers were able to find oodles of value in targeted ads as well.

The ability to find all the products or services you need with just a click or a tap has made it easier than ever for consumers to fulfil all their needs.

There's no denying that social media basically runs off commercialism now.

And there are opportunities to spend or even make money online everywhere you look.

In fact, the commercialisation of the internet has come so far that we were able to develop financial systems that exist solely online.

In 2009, the world was introduced to its first DeFi ('decentralised finance') project: Bitcoin.

Bitcoin was different from any other monetary system that existed before its inception.

Unlike sovereign currencies, the value of Bitcoin didn't just extend to a national border.

Anybody from anywhere in the world could buy Bitcoin and make real purchases or even earn real money by building their crypto portfolio.

The concept of DeFi also took the world by storm over the 2010s, mainly because it held the promise of a world that wouldn't rely on traditional banks.

The opportunity to live life away from the whims of interest rates or exchange rates inspired many netizens to 'build their own wealth' online by embracing blockchain technology. So what happened to the crypto boom?

It didn't seem like that long ago when we were still trading NFTs ('nonfungible tokens') and revelling in the boundless commercial potential of blockchain technologies.

But the issue with nonfungible investments is that their value was reliant on an inherent belief that there was actually value to be had.

The second the NFT market became oversaturated with sellers, the evolution of crypto collapsed.

So where does that leave the rest of the blockchain?

Fungible cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are still going relatively strong, mainly because their scarcity keeps them in high demand.

And blockchain technologies are being embraced by banks now too.

The ability to make secure transactions online through the use of blockchain will likely continue changing how we spend and earn money online.

So that brings us to questions of the future.

How will the internet continue to evolve in the digital age?

Will our data be used to bring digital ads into the physical world?

New-age ideas like Google Glass do inspire images of a world where the internet can continue to influence what life is like in the 'real world'.

Our experience as consumers will likely grow increasingly digitised, as companies analyse our data and find new ways to connect with us through our phones, computer screens, or billboards on street corners.

But is it possible to opt out of all of this?

Well maybe, but only to an extent.

You can refuse to participate in some ways, but you may sacrifice your convenience in the process.

Because the internet is designed to offer us convenience above all else - from immediate delivery of all the world's information to opportunities to shop, work, study, and even set up whole businesses online.

If you want to stop being bombarded by digital ads though, you can still enjoy little methods like using an ad blocker or opting out of cookies.

These little steps will make the commercialisation of the internet more of a source of value for you, both as a consumer and an everyday web user.