How the World Wide Web Transformed the 90s

Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel

This educational video takes students on a time-traveling adventure back to the 1990s to explore the invention and profound impact of the World Wide Web. Through a narrative frame where the host, Anthony, and his robot companion, Mia, get trapped inside a computer, viewers meet 'Webster,' a guide to the digital past. The video breaks down the history of the internet versus the World Wide Web, introducing key milestones like the 1989 invention by a British scientist and the explosion of usage by the late 90s. The content is structured around three primary pillars of impact: Social, Economic, and Political. Socially, it covers the shift from physical libraries to search engines (Ask Jeeves, Google), the birth of instant communication (AIM, Email), and the rise of social media and misinformation. Economically, it explains the 'Dot Com' boom, the birth of e-commerce giants like Amazon and eBay, and new career paths in tech. Politically, it discusses how the 1992 election utilized email for the first time and how digital platforms revolutionized voter engagement and activism. This resource is highly valuable for Social Studies and History classrooms as it connects recent history to students' current digital lives. It effectively contrasts life 'before' and 'after' the web, helping students appreciate the technological conveniences they often take for granted while critically analyzing the double-edged sword of instant information. The video includes built-in pause points with discussion questions, making it ready-to-use for interactive classroom instruction.