Before 1450, humans had very few options when it came to communicating with anyone outside of their local area. Other than oral tradition, the only way to share all of our unique, individual cultures with others around the world was to rely on a small group of monks known as scribes. However, once Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press this all changed and for the first time in human civilization, we were able to share ideas, stories and intricate parts of our societies with others all over the world.
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There’s no doubt that the invention of the printing press changed the way the world worked, and for centuries the innovation reigned supreme. That was until the World Wide Web went live on August 6, 1991 when its creator Tim Berners-Lee published a short post on the alt.hypertext newsgroup. Ever since that day, the world has never looked back as we continue to develop technology that enables us to communicate with others all over the world.
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There are currently around 3.6 billion internet users in the world, 2.3 billion of which are estimated to be social media users. Plus, we’re willing to bet the other 1.3 billion have communicated with someone at some point using the internet. There are a number of ways to converse other than on Facebook and Twitter after all, such as forums and comment sections.
A huge section of the internet is also dedicated to online games where players can chat while they play. The iGaming industry, in particular, has made an effort to incorporate chat systems into most areas, regardless of the platform or game. Even roulette – which is usually less social than casino card games or bingo – has become social as sites like bgo host multiplayer online roulette games where players are encouraged to talk to and play with and against each other thus creating a sense of camaraderie and community.
Of course, socializing passes far beyond simply speaking to others through a chat box. Not only can we talk face-to-face with software like Skype and Google Hangouts, more advanced social media technology like Twitch, Periscope and Facebook Live allow us to stream our lives live to the internet in real time whenever and wherever we please. Online gaming sites have embraced this technology as well as bgo also offers live roulette, while sites like Bingo Hour and National Bingo often stream live bingo games.
If you think about it, it appears that a lot of the internet is based around enabling us to speak to others, to exchange ideas and share our own personal stories with whoever happens to be interested. Sure, there’s a lot of talk about the younger generations oversharing and indulging in the fascinating new online world, but wouldn’t any human being want to share their life experiences with others? Aren’t most of our innovative inventions and creations based on some human need to connect with others, to make it easier than ever for us to communicate despite distances?