Information SuperhighwayThe term Information Superhighway (or Infobahn ) is the popular designation for the Internet and the broader matrix of telecommunications and computer networks. The term has come to refer to what some take to be an inevitable convergence into a single entity of commercial online services, local bulletin boards, cable television, cellular telephone, consumer electronics, and the entertainment and publishing industries. The term is ultimately more evocative than descriptive of any actual phenomenon or entity.
The notion of an information superhighway was mentioned as early as 1979 by Al Gore. The image has been accepted by government agencies, commercial interests, and the media.
The metaphor has the advantage of offering an image with which non- computer people are both comfortable and familiar. It suggests a broad interconnected system encompassing seemingly infinite routes for enjoyment or commerce. Extensions of the metaphor capture various aspects of network communication:
On a political level, the image implies both implicit federal support and universal access. The federal government has formed the Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF) made up of representatives from various agencies involved in telecommunications and information policy to develop standards for the Information Superhighway.
The image has been carried to extreme levels, as with the appearance of a information provider, PC Lube and Tune. Others have railed against a trivialization of the immense sophistication and potential of communications on a global scale and have attacked the ultimate accuracy of the image.