So the internet turned 40 yesterday. Happy birthday internet. WOW, 40 is a big number. And when you go back in time to see how it all began and the impact it has today, you would be truly amazed. The rate at which the internet has evolved and continues to evolve further is just  unbelievable.

wwwwIn Africa, we are just about catching on with the hype of the internet. Sad it comes 40 years later, but better now than never.  I recall the first time I created my online presence. My first yahoo email address, in a cyber cafe that had 2 computers and a 16kbps dial up connection. They were charging 18shs a minute ($0.25) and it took me an hour to successfully have my first ever email address. I never got round to using it as my dad thought it was pointless and too expensive (he was paying :D ).

Today it costs 30shs an hour ($0.4) at a cyber its alot faster thanks to the fiber that landed into Africa a couple of months ago, ahhh and my dad has personal email and instant messenger which he checks daily without fail thanks to the broadband connection at home.

Back then content was minimum and was mainly for sharing information between corporates, now the Internets content is so vast that it is difficult to estimate how much data is available, and is used by everyone from children as young as 4 years old to adults of every age. Estimated users stand in at about 1.4 billion, most of them cannot imagine their lives without it, me included. The internet has been the fastest growing technology, taking only 5 years to hit 50 million users compared to the radio that took 38 years and the TV 13 years.

Looking back on the last 40 years, I really wonder where the internet will be in the next 10 years. It changes and evolves so fast that there is always something new happening at the click of a mouse.

Post your experience with the internet from the time you first started using is to what you use it for today.