The emergence of the Internet: collective invention and wild ducks

Shane Greenstein

Industrial and Corporate Change, 2010, vol. 19, issue 5, 1521-1562

Abstract: How and why did the Internet accumulate so many valuable improvements during the era of US-government sponsorship? The essay interprets the creation of the Internet through the lens of collective invention, focusing attention on the institutional factors that shaped the aspirations of participants and that constrained the realization of those aspirations. The analysis provides insight about why the technology developed beyond its prototype status, and extended the Internet to new users or uses, especially nontechnical users. The essay features the development of email as an illustration. Copyright 2010 The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Associazione ICC. All rights reserved., Oxford University Press.

Date: 2010
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