Since its beginnings in the 1960s, the internet has grown steadily, metamorphosised in many surprising ways, and now is central to Australian society and media. As a relatively new medium, we still know little about its histories. This article discusses the emerging field of internet histories, which as yet has surprisingly few connections with the relatively well-established enterprise of media histories. We review the development of the internet in Australia, discuss international scholarly work on internet histories and, in the context of this special issue, consider the research agenda that lies ahead.
Funding
Internet History in Australia and the Asia-Pacific
This article appeared in the Media International Australia special issue 'Internet histories', edited by Jock Given and Gerard Goggin. See http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/230560 for more information.