If the internet didn't exist or wasn't as prevalent?

Starforce

Banned
So lets say, that in this alternate world the internet doesn't exist, or at least it is not as prevalent. In my mind, for this universe I could see the internet only really being used by military and governmental forces, perhaps. Even if it got in the hands of the people at a later date, would it still be as prevalent?
 
It's not clear what you're asking us to speculate on here.

If the interent doesn't exist, obviously it's not prevalent in any way. If it exists, but is only used by the military and government, it's also not particularly prevalent(sorta like computers, in the days before home-computing). But if it is handed over to the people at a later date than IOTL, it is still going to become VERY prevalent, though obviously on a different schedule.
 

Starforce

Banned
It's not clear what you're asking us to speculate on here.

If the interent doesn't exist, obviously it's not prevalent in any way. If it exists, but is only used by the military and government, it's also not particularly prevalent(sorta like computers, in the days before home-computing). But if it is handed over to the people at a later date than IOTL, it is still going to become VERY prevalent, though obviously on a different schedule.

Well what I mean here is that it is only used by military and government.
 
Well what I mean here is that it is only used by military and government.

Well, if it's only used by the military and government, I don't think it's gonna really penetrate the consciousness of the average person. It would just be another technology(like eg. heavy-duty military hardware) over which government maintains a usage-monopoly.

Occassionally, e-mails and other cybershit would get leaked, and published in the print media if it were considered relevant, but that wouldn't be any different than classified letters between government departments getting leaked.
 
I could easily see satellite modum/broadcasting subscription systems similar to interactive television taking it's place for some purposes. Kind of what like the Nintendo Satellaview did, you'd have times broadcasts of manipulatable papers/magazines (perhaps with attached video) and "timed Beta" styles of games on a subscription service, probably from big news companies and games publishers trying to cut down on the expense of physical production.
 
Gore might've won in 2000. The myth that Gore claimed he invented the internet created this perception of him as dishonest, and became a source of mockery during the election season. Given how close that election was, Gore might have won Florida and thus the presidency.
 
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