Ennetech by Erasmus and Kinkajou Authors

 

 

 

Erasmus and Kinkajou share their vision of technologies that will help us on our way

Internet : Popular Sites of New

 

 

 

The picture of the internet has grown as new ideas are developed and popularised.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You would spend more on a book or magazine
 than you would on helping us to keep on going.

Give us a donation please.
 We really need your help and support,
to let us keep on doing our work.

Our Sites are run on voluntary donations.

 

Donations
Because we need your help
to survive & keep working

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can help us do our work if you just tell one new person about something valuable you found on our site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can help us help the world if you just tell one new person about something valuable you learned on our site.

 

 

Internet Revolution:  Past, Present, Future : A history

Past

  • How To Use The Internet 1969 ARPANET carries its first packets 1969
  • Using Email 1971  Mailing Lists 1972
  • Using MUDs 1979 : Multi User Dungeons
  • Using Usenet 1980    USENET news using UUCO:  1980
  • SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)  1982
  • Using IRC 1988


  • 1988- Morris worm:  one of the first computer worms distributed via the Internet. It was the first to gain significant mainstream media attention
  • Using the Web 1990
    • 1990 – Archie search engine 
    • 1990 – ARPANET decommissioned (Web Precursor)
  • 1991 – World Wide Web(WWW)    1991 – Gopher   1993 – Mosaic web browser released
  • 1994 – Full text web search engines
  • Permanent Internet access was first available in Australia to universities via AARNet in 1989. The first permanent circuit connecting AARNet to ARPANet using TCP/IP over X.25 was established in May 1989. It linked the University of Melbourne with the University of Hawaii via a 2400-bit/s (bits per second) satellite connection

Present

  • 1995 – IPv6 proposed
  • 1998 – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
  • 1999 – IEEE 802.11bwireless networking
  • 2010 – First internationalized country code top-level domains registered
  • 2012 – ICANN begins accepting applications for new generic top-level domain names

Future

HTML5 is intended to subsume not only HTML 4, but also XHTML 1 and DOM Level 2 HTML

Popular Social Internet Sites

Popular Internet Services from History

1990 – IMDB Internet movie database
1995 – Amazon.com online retailer
1995 – eBay online auction and shopping
1995 – Craigslist classified advertisements
1996 – Hotmail free web-based e-mail
1997 – Babel Fish automatic translation
1998 – Google Search
1998 – Yahoo! Clubs (now Yahoo! Groups)
1998 – PayPal Internet payment system
1999 – Napster peer-to-peer file sharing
2001 – BitTorrent peer-to-peer file sharing
2001 – Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
2003 – LinkedIn business networking
2003 – Myspace social networking site
2003 – Skype Internet voice calls
2003 – iTunesStore
2003 – 4Chan Anonymous image-based bulletin board
2003 – The Pirate Bay, torrent file host
2004 – Facebook social networking site
2004 – Podcast media file series
2004 – Flickr image hosting
2005 – YouTube video sharing
2005 – Reddit link voting
2005 – Google Earth virtual globe
2006 – Twitter micro-blogging
2007 –WikiLeaks anonymous news and information leaks
2007 – Google Street View
2007 – Kindle, e-reader and virtual bookshop
2009 – Google Docs, Web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, form, and data storage service
2009 –Bitcoin, a digital currency
2010 – Instagram, photo sharing and social networking
2011 – Google+, social networking
2011 –Snapchat, photo sharing

Facebook

 

 

POPULAR INTERNET SITES: Present

Alexa Traffic

Site

Domain

Aug-15

Type

Country

Google

google.com

1

Search engine

United States

Facebook

facebook.com

2

Social network

YouTube

youtube.com

3

Video sharing

Yahoo!

yahoo.com

5

Portal

United States

Amazon

amazon.com

6

Retail

Wikipedia

wikipedia.org

7

Encyclopedia

Twitter

twitter.com

9

Social network

Windows Live

live.com

12

Email, web services and software suite

LinkedIn

linkedin.com

14

Social network

eBay

ebay.com

17

Online auctions and retail sales

Blogspot

blogspot.com

20

Blogging

t.co

t.co

23

URL shortening for links posted to Twitter

Bing

bing.com

25

Search engine

MSN

msn.com

26

Portal

Instagram

instagram.com

27

Photo sharing and social media

Google UK

google.co.uk

29

Search engine

United Kingdom

Reddit

reddit.com

30

Entertainment and social networking

Microsoft

microsoft.com

33

Software and technology

Ask.com

ask.com

36

Search engine

Pinterest

pinterest.com

37

Social media

WordPress.com

wordpress.com

39

Blogging and social media

tumblr

tumblr.com

40

Social media

Imgur

imgur.com

41

Image sharing

PayPal

PayPal.com

43

Payment system

XVideos

xvideos.com

46

Pornography

NetMovieDatabase

imdb.com

47

Database films, TV,  programs, video games

Apple Inc.

apple.com

48

Technology and software

Netflix

netflix.com

54

Streaming TV and movies

Stack Overflow

stackoverflow.com

55

Question and answer site

Craigslist

craigslist.org

57

Classified advertising

Diply

diply.com

61

Entertainment

Pornhub

pornhub.com

64

Pornography

Amazon UK

amazon.co.uk

68

Retail

United Kingdom

xHamster

xhamster.com

70

Pornography

Outbrain

Outbrain.com

71

Content recommendation

Booking.com

Booking.com

72

Accommodation booking

KickassTorrents

Kat.cr

73

Directory for torrents

Adobe Systems

adobe.com

75

Software

CNN

cnn.com

77

News

United States

Go.com

go.com

80

Portal: walt Disney

Google Australia

google.com.au

82

Search engine

Australia

BBC Online

bbc.co.uk

86

News and broadcasting

Global: news&radio; UK for TV

GitHub

Github.com

90

Source code hosting service

Dailymotion

dailymotion.com

92

Video sharing

Dropbox

dropbox.com

95

File hosting service

Wikia

Wikia.com

97

Wiki

Blogger

blogger.com

100

Blogging


Internet Devices

Internet Devices

 

The 100 Best Websites List

#

Website

Summary

1

Google

We believe Google is simply the best tool on the Web for finding just about anything, and it easily claims our Number 1 spot. It is screamingly fast, sleek, streamlined, and as comprehensive as a search tool can be. And that's just the beginning: check out Wikipedia's List of Google Products (many of them totally free and extremely useful). Simply put, Google has changed the way the world works.

2

Yahoo!

An outstanding search engine, it also provides a cornucopia of free services: free email, maps, games, shopping, news, finance, sports -- the list just goes on and on and on! See Wikipedia's List of Yahoo!-owned sites and services for a good overview of the many things Yahoo! has to offer.

3

Amazon.com

Amazon is nothing less than a revolution in how the world shops. It is a huge step forward in the achievement of an ideal competitive market. It is user-friendly, vast, and reliable.

4

About.com

About.com breaks up the Web into major subject areas with a volunteer human host for each of them. It helps you sift out the wheat from the chaff on an enormous range of subjects.

5

Bartleby.com

Much of the greatest literature in the history of humankind will be found in full text form (and free of charge) at this amazing site. In addition, many useful reference tools are here (also free!)

6

Google Groups

Formerly "DejaNews", Google Groups is a glorious experiment in free speech! This oceanic database of over 800 million posted "Usenet" messages from people all over the globe constitutes the largest bulletin board in the history of the world! It's fully searchable, and you can post your own messages free of charge. (Tip: don't use your primary email address in your posts! To avoid spam, use a temporary email address.)

7

Google News

A bold endeavor in online journalism, Google News provides you hundreds of news sources (typically) for each of the major stories of the day. Just find the story that interests you on the main page, and you will see something like "227 related" or "535 related" just beneath it. Click this to see the extensive range of news sources available for the story you are after! (Its database of past news is also searchable.)

8

CNN

For fast-breaking news and responsible journalism, it's hard to beat CNN. And the text content at this site is mostly free!

9

EBay

Ebay is the world's biggest, longest-running garage sale, as well as its most extensive auction house. Buy, sell, browse, bid, and be amazed at what you find at this wonderful site!

10

Download.com

If you love software treasure-hunting, Download.com is the site for you! This massive and well-rounded collection of shareware (try-before-you-buy) and freeware (totally free software) is fully searchable and sortable. And there's no wait for a package in the mail: download it NOW, install it, and take it for a test drive!

11

Craigslist.org

Craigslist.org is a daring bulletin board system directed toward the major cities in the US, Canada, the UK, and (soon) other countries. The magical distinction of Craigslist is its use of anonymous email forwarding: your email address is invisible to the public. A pointer (which expires after several days) forwards all responses to you. Visit Craigslist if you want to sell or buy something, if you want to meet new people (romantically or otherwise), if you want to look for a job, or if you want to share your ideas. Almost all of its features are totally free, except job listings for employers.

12

Reference.com

Your inner-librarian will be delighted! Here you will find (free of charge) Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Almanacs, Atlases, and an assortment of other helpful resources.

13

Wikipedia.org

One of the most remarkable online encyclopedias on the Web! All the content is free, in the public domain, and quotable. Wikipedia is maintained by an army of volunteers. Even so, its content remains of very high quality. Wikipedia is a good example of how the Web can function at is best! Be sure to visit whenever you have any question that an encyclopedia might help you answer. You might be surprised how often Wikipedia will come through for you!

14

Beliefnet.com

Beliefnet.com is an online community for people who practice spirituality in just about any tradition in the world. The emphasis here is on mutual respect and tolerance. Free inquiry and exchange of ideas is invited. Secular (non-religious) philosophies and ideas are also welcome. Also, sacred texts from the world's great religions will be found referenced at this site.

15

Anywho

Anywho is a great online phone book and people-finder sponsored by AT&T. Use the Yellow Pages for businesses, the White Pages for people, and the Reverse Lookup if all you have is a phone number.

16

Weather.com

Enter your Zip Code and see the weather predictions for the next ten days (scroll down), courtesy of The Weather Channel. It's easy and it's free!

17

Search.com

Search.com is an outstanding example of a "metasearch engine": a web search tool that employs over 1,000 search engines running in parallel to help you find what you are looking for.

18

Hotmail.com

MSN's Hotmail.com provides you with totally free email, pure and simple!

19

NIH.gov

The National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has created this clearinghouse of information on all matters related to your physical well-being. You'll find drug information (MEDLINEplus), disease & symptom documentation, health recommendations, summaries on every major system of the human body, and much more at this excellent site.

20

CNET.com

CNET.com (the parent site of Download.com) is a technophile's oasis! If you are looking for desktop computers, laptops, printers, peripherals, software cell phones, cameras, or just about any other kind of gadgetry, be sure to take advantage of CNET's reviews and price comparison features. This free site can save you hundred or thousands of dollars, depending on your needs

21

London Books

The London Review of Books is a respected journal for those who enjoy reading the best books in the world! At times, the reviews themselves rise to the level of great literature.

22

Refdesk.com

You could spend tens and tens of hours browsing the huge catalogue of useful websites at Refdesk.com. You'll find newspapers, photo databases, reference tools, trivia, quotes, self-help advice, search engines, and much, much more at this virtual goldmine of the Web.

23

MayoClinic.com

Simply put, the Mayo Clinic is one of the greatest hospitals and medical research centers on Planet Earth. In that tradition, the Mayo Clinic provides this excellent website devoted to the promotion of human health.

24

GuideStar.org

If you give some of your time, money, and energy to help the disadvantaged of the world, you would probably like to know that your contributions are put to good use. GuideStar.org provides extensive information on nearly all major charitable organizations. It will help you "heal the world" responsibly.

25

FirstGov.gov

The official portal of the Federal Government of the United States, FirstGov.gov puts you in touch with your elected officials and the agencies and people they govern. Lots of good information here.

26

BBC.com

The BBC has long been the standard for international journalism. At this site, you can watch, listen, and read live and recorded content from the BBC. (Be sure to catch the hourly World News Update!) But don’t stop with the news! Be sure to browse the History, Science, Society, and other categories to find rich content of unusually high quality. You could browse this site for many weeks without exhausting its abundant resources!

27

IMDB.com

The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) is a movie-lover's paradise! Discover every movie your favorite actor/actress has been in, discover every actress/actor in your favorite movie! All the facts about all the films will be found here.

28

Expedia.com

Expedia.com makes travel very easy and about as cheap as it can be. Your one stop shop for low-cost air travel, hotels, rental cars, and tour packages!

29

Slate.com

MSN's Slate is one of the premier online magazines. You'll find news, ideas, reviews, and much more here.

30

Nutrition.gov

Nutrition.gov provides authoritative information about health and nutrition. You will also find the USDA's National Nutrient Database here, which will allow you to evaluate your diet with more knowledge than ever before!

31

Altmedicine.com

Alternative medicine has found its voice on the web at Altmedicine.com! Having received praise from many sources (including the prestigious medical journal "The Lancet"), Altmedicine.com explores the best information from many sources on alternative approaches to human health.

32

Citysearch.com

When you need to get to know a city fast, Citysearch.com should be your first stop! You'll find information and reviews of restaurants, hotels, places to see, shopping, services, and much more about major American (and some international) cities at this site.

33

Monster.com

Need a job? Visit Monster.com, an enormous database & job listing site for employers and employees to be!

34

Vote-Smart.org

Enter your Zip Code and find links to your Congresspersons, your President, and your state representatives! Project Vote Smart will help you become an informed and effective voter.

35

Sciam.com

The online manifestaton of Scientific American magazine, Sciam.com presents clear, intelligent writing on the most important scientific discoveries, initiatives, and controversies of our time. Much of the content is free. And you can search past issues!

36

ESPN.com

If you love sports, sports history, or sports statistics, ESPN.com is the site for you!

37

Encarta.com

MSN's online encyclopedia Encarta gives you fast, free access to an amazing range of facts. Much of the content is free, but some requires membership.

38

Findlaw.com

Findlaw.com provides a fantastic set of tools for anyone interested in American Law. Widely used by legal professionals, it can also be used profitably by laymen. Learn the facts about the laws that govern you from this excellent site!

39

Nature.com

One of the world's premier scientific journals, Nature, provides much of its content online (and much of it free!) Check out subject areas on Chemistry, Physics, Microbiology, Medicine and much more at this fantastic site!

40

USA Today local

Though it's not quite a substitute for your favorite local paper, USA Today's "States" news will give you a summary of the major events in all 50 states of the Union.

41

AllPosters.com

Who would have thought that one of the best selections of fine art prints online would be available at a poster shop?! Allposters.com is almost like an online museum: but a museum at which you can buy what you see (at reasonable prices). Not only fine art, but movie and concert posters and many other things framable will be found here!

42

Time.com

Time magazine is one most respected news magazines on earth. And much of its content is available free here!

43

Mapquest.com

Get clear, printable maps, driving directions, addresses of businesses, and much more at Mapquest.com

44

Abebooks.com

Find your favorite old or out-of-print books at this wonderful site!

45

Allmusic.com

From Beethoven to the Beatles and beyond, you'll find Allmusic.com a treasure-trove of musical knowledge.

46

MedlinePlus.gov

The National Institutes of Health maintains MedlinePlus for those interested in reliable information on prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Even so, you'll find many other valuable health-related resources here.

47

Open Directory

As modest as it appears, the Open Directory is a true powerhouse in web-searching! It provides search data to many of the most widely-used search engines, and it itself is a first rate directory of the best of the Web.

48

LOC.gov

The Library of Congress is gradually making more and more of its collosal store of resources available on the web. Its website should afford you many happy hours of browsing.

49

Windows Media

Online Radio is here, and MSN's Windows Media is one of the finest sites available devoted to it!

50

UComics.com

Your favorite comics may be online, and they may be here! The latest contributions from Garfield, Calvin & Hobbes, Doonesbury, Cathy, Ziggy, and many others will be found at this easy-to-use site.

51

InfoPlease.com

A first-rate online almanac, atlas, dictionary, & encylcopedia, all rolled into one!

52

Alexa.com

What's good is not always popular, and what's popular is not always good, but on the Internet, popularity and quality go are found together often enough. Alexa.com helps you find the most frequently visited sites in many categories.

53

Museums

When you're too busy to visit museums in person, you can visit them online! This fantastic guide to online museums is a great place to start.

54

UN.org

The homepage of the United Nations presents a rich collection of information about the state of humankind on Planet Earth. Practical strategies for making this world a better place are laid out in substantial detail here.

55

Sacred Texts

The Internet Sacred Text Archive presents the scriptures of the world's great spiritual traditions. You'll find sacred writings from Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, and many others here (along with a few curious entries!)

56

ArtForum.com

Artforum is one of the world's most widely read journals devoted to the fine arts. Be sure to check out there "Museum Finder" when you visit!

57

WebMD.com

Get sound medical information and tips on a healthy lifestyle from this respected site.

58

VLIB.org

The WWW Virtual Library relies on a consortium of experts around the world to present the richest content available on the Web in a broad range of subject areas.

59

MoneyCentral

MSN's MoneyCentral will help you make intelligent decisions about investing, taxes, loans, retirement, and all things financial.

60

Classmates.com

Wouldn't you love to track down some of your old school friends? Or maybe a favorite teacher who made a difference in your life? This is the place to start. Basic access is free, premium access is modestly priced.

61

Europa.eu.int

The Hompage of the European Union is home to a vast collection of information about all aspects of European government. The EU's goals and strategies for achieving them are discussed in detail.

62

Yahoo! Groups

Nowhere is it easier to start your own discussion group or bulletin board about just about anything! Within minutes and with no cost, you can have your special subject humming with lively (and often scrappy) discussion. Free speech rules!

63

NY Rev Books

This foremost literary journal is surprisingly generous with its content: access the full content of each edition online. Remarkable.

64

Jokes.com

Not only will you find jokes in abundance here, but each joke has a running rating from site visitors! Be forewarned, not all these jokes are in good taste!

65

Priceline.com

Name the price you're willing to pay for airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, vacations, or cruises. There's no guarantee your offer will be accepted, but if it is, you will save some serious money!

66

RottenTomatoes

Which movie should you see this weekend? Rottentomatoes.com lets you read the opinions of over 100 critics (for most movies) to help you decide. The "Cream of the Crop" critics list may include your favorite critic. The popular "TomatoMeter" gives you a running average of the critics ratings for each film.

67

IPL.org

The Internet Public Library, based at the University of Michigan, may be the next best thing to having a University library attached to your house! In some ways, it may be even better.

68

AceFitness.com

We all know we should exercise, but what exercises are best for us? The American Council on Exercise describes exercises that are safe and effective for those wishing to stay in shape.

69

Quicken.com

The home of Quicken financial software, this site also provides free tools to help you plan and manage your assets.

70

Andante.com

This celebrated classical music magazine is available online, much of the content free. Paying members will enjoy an extensive collection of additional resources.

71

Pauling Nutrition

What does the latest research say about vitamins, minerals, nutritional supplements, and other nutrients? The Micronutrient Information Center of the Linus Pauling Institute provides detailed and well-documented information on all these. (Incidentally, Linus Pauling was the only person in history to win two Nobel Prizes!)

72

PCmag.com

PC Magazine has long been a favorite read of computer and technology enthusiasts. For hardware and software reviews, as well as tips for improving your computing experience, be sure to visit this site!

73

Times of London

Yes, you have to subscribe for access, but it's worth it to read the Times of London online.

74

Federal Jobs

The FedWorld Federal Job Search engine might land you in a new job quicker than you had thought possible! It's free to use, and user-friendly.

75

IHT.com

One of the world's finest newspapers, the International Herald Tribune is also one of the few online newspapers that doesn't require registration to read, free or otherwise! (Let's hope it stays that way!)

76

Online Books

Over 20,000 free books on the Web, many of them classics! Search by author, title, subject, century, or just browse for fun.

77

Pogo.com

Play Chess, Checkers, card games, or work Crosswords online at Pogo.com, a free website maintained by Electronic Arts!

78

BizRate.com

BizRate.com may be "the largest, fastest, and most accurate shopping search engine on the Web". Save money and find top quality at this site.

79

Billboard.com

Billboard Magazine has chronicled the world of popular music and entertainment since its founding in 1894! (Yes, that's 1894, not 1994!) Much of the information at this site is free.

80

Translation

Translate the content of an entire website from one language to another simply by entering the site's web address! Or enter a block of text and translate it from one language to another! To be sure, the translation is not perfect, but it may be good enough for what you need. AltaVista's Babel Fish Translations site has been serving up automatic translations for years, and it's free! (To see Babel Fish in action, why not translate and display THIS website in any one of 10 languages with a single click of the mouse -- click here  to see our "Translation Bar"!

81

Give.org

Most of us would like to donate money, time, energy, or ideas to help the least advantaged people of the world. But it is a challenge to ensure that our donations are used effectively and responsibly. Give.org, a service of the Better Business Bureau, evaluates major charities and provides reports on how responsibly they do their work.

82

Mathworld

"The Web's most extensive mathematics resource" will help you remember all the algebra, geometry, trig, statistics, calculus, and diffie-Q that you left behind years ago! And you'll probably learn a lot you never knew along the way.

83

WebRing.org

Webrings are like pearl necklaces of websites on related topics. Webring.org helps you find the webring that you'd like to browse or insert your own website into.

84

Career Builder

CareerBuilder.com employs its network of more than 130 local newspapers to help employ YOU! If you're looking for work, do stop by!

85

411.com

411.com is a combined online Yellow Pages, White Pages, People Finder, and more!

86

Epinions.com

This site exists to help people make intelligent buying decisions. It is a compendium of reviews from thousands of people on thousands of different products. A good site to visit before any major purchase.

87

Spiritual Journals

The Religious Studies Web Guide is an enormous collection of links to major journals in theology and spiritual philosophy.

88

ALdaily.com

Arts & Letters Daily is a favorite stop for those who love thinking, literature, and dazzling ideas. It's always fresh and always relevant.

89

Nolopress.com

The homepage of Nolo Press, the pioneers of do-it-yourself law, is also a rich source of free legal information.

90

Classical.net

Classical music lovers of all different levels of experience and sublety will love this site devoted to the history and ideas of great western music.

91

Blogger

Create your own "blog" to express your ideas to the world and invite responses. This service is high quality, and it's free!

92

NYTimes.com

The New York Times online does require (free) registration, but it is well worth that small investment of time. Keep up on events that shape the world by visiting often.

93

Earthcam.com

Live online cameras are all over the world in fascinating and often unlikely places. Look through many windows on the world LIVE at Earthcam.com!

94

BBB.org

The Better Business Bureau is online and ready to help in the continuing struggle against shoddy business practices.

95

intelihealth

Harvard Medical School's respository of consumer health information will be found at this excellent site, along with many user-friendly articles on health, disease, drugs, and the human body.

96

LiveJournal.com

Keep a journal online about anything at all! And browse the journals of others. Livejournal.com is one of the most popular "blogging" sites, and with very good reason.

97

BBC Faith

The "Religion & Ethics" site of the BBC sets the world's great spiritual traditions side by side and provides extensive information on each of them.

98

ArtsJournal

This "daily digest of arts, culture, and ideas" is sure to provide stimulation for aesthetes and intellectuals.

99

TicketMaster

The purpose of ticketmaster.com is simple: get the tickets you want easily, in advance, and at a reasonable cost.

100

Gutenberg.net

Project Gutenberg presents a collection of over 15,000 electronic books ("ebooks") available for free download! Most are older literary works in the public domain, many of the considered classics. An amazing and useful monument to the volunteer labor of thousands of participants!


WEB USE TRICKS

How To Use A MUD

Multi-User Dungeon (MUD) - Adventure, role playing games, or simulations played on the Internet. Devotees call them "text-based virtual reality adventures." The games can feature fantasy combat, booby traps and magic. Players interact in real time and can change the "world" in the game as they play it.
- Malkin, G.; Internet Users' Glossary; RFC 1983; August 1996.
Each MUD world has a unique environment depending on which kind of server it runs on, its user community, and how it has developed, but generally shares certain fundamental characteristics in common with other MUDs. The following sections provide basic information on how to use a MUD.

Application such as Google groups have replaced the use of mailing lists and newsgroups. Early killer apps of the Internet age such as IRC have been larger replaced by Facebook. There are some differences which allow application such as IRC to maintain a niche market. Chief among these is capacity to set up random communication with individuals within a region. However, specific applications on mobile phones such as dating apps have largely taken over this role as well.