15 Ways That the Internet Has Gotten Better Since the '90s

Anyone else remember the sound of dial-up Internet?

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Since becoming more widely accessible in the 1990s, the Internet has become a defining part of culture in the 21st century, and allowed human beings connect and communicate like never before. Recent estimates show that 2.4 billion people use the Internet today, which is roughly 100 times the amount in 1994. The shift is monumental in countless ways, as it pushes issues concerning global politics, technology, and the arts to reach an audience of unprecedented scale. But how else, exactly, has the Internet changed since the '90s?

The emergence of companies like Google and YouTube are obvious, but considering the relatively small amount of time that has elapsed since these changes, the pace at which the Internet has developed is staggering. What other trends, services, or advantages have emerged in the past couple decades that have made our lives easier? Take a look at the 15 Ways That the Internet Has Gotten Better Since the '90s and find out for yourself. How did we ever live without them? 

Mapping Technology

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File Sharing and Streaming Technology

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E-Commerce and Online Transactions

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Access to Information and Mainstream Media

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Crowdsourcing and Crowdfunding Platforms

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The Cloud

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Online Gaming

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Google Chrome, Safari, and Mozilla Firefox

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Mobile Web Development

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Wikipedia

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Faster Internet Connections and Wi-Fi

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The Rise of Social Media

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Google

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The Creation of YouTube

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GIFs and Memes

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