The trajectory of the network around here began timidly, with universities connecting to the worldwide network for academic purposes, still in the 1980s. However, it was only in 1996 that the service opened up for commercial use, marking the true “birth” of the Brazilian Internet. Embratel was pioneering, along with companies such as UOL and Globo.com, which became the first content portals for the general public. At the time, access was made by telephone line, and use was charged per minute, which generated salty bills and families disputing the computer.
THE EVOLUTION OF INTERNET IN THE DAY-TO-DAY LIFE
With the advancement of technology came broadband providers, the emergence of LAN houses, the boom of blogs, and the first social networks, such as Orkut. In the early 2000s, the Internet was already part of urban life, although marked by inequalities in access. The definitive leap would come in the following decade, with the massification of smartphones and mobile data plans. If before it was necessary to be in front of a computer to “enter the Internet”, now she (it) started to follow us 24 hours a day, in apps, notifications, and social networks.
The digital revolution has deeply shaped the behavior of society. Information consumption multiplied, journalism reinvented itself to survive the era of click, and entertainment migrated from television to YouTube, from rental to streaming. Brazil, always creative, has become a protagonist in the networks: the country is today one of the largest consumers of networks such as Instagram, WhatsApp, and TikTok, and the cradle of influencers with global reach. The Internet has also transformed the labor market, creating previously unimaginable professions, such as streamer, social media, and application developer.
CHALLENGES OF THE NEW DIGITAL ERA
But the 30 years of the Internet have also exposed challenges. Digital inclusion is not yet full: millions of Brazilians in the peripheries and rural areas have limited, unstable, or expensive access. In addition, issues such as misinformation, hate speech, digital dependence, and invasion of privacy have arisen, which require new forms of regulation and digital education. The Marco Civil Law of the Internet in Brazil, approved in 2014, was an important step to ensure rights and duties in the online environment, but debates on network regulation, security, and artificial intelligence are still open.
Today, the Internet in Brazil is a structural part of the economy and everyday life. Banking services, classes, medical appointments, meetings, deliveries, and even love relationships are mediated by online platforms. The advancement of artificial intelligence and augmented reality already points to a new cycle of digital transformation, where interactions will be even more immersive, automatic, and personalized. In this scenario, the challenge of the future is to ensure that the Internet continues to be an accessible, safe, ethical, and democratic space for everyone.
Thirty years after the first commercial connection, the network is no longer new, it is infrastructure. But, even so, it continues to evolve and surprise. If the past was the time of the modem and ICQ, and the present is the time of 5G and AI, the future is still under construction, pixel by pixel, click by click.
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The article above was edited by Maria Clara Polcan.
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