IS EVERYTHING NETWORKED?
A network is just a system of people or things that are connected to one another. If someone was to ask you to give an example of a network, you probably would use the computer network definition. But there are all sorts of other networks in which we all participate in some form or another. One of the big- gest networks is our interconnecting road system. Our highways and byways interconnect cities with one another and provide transportation routes for people and goods. The railroad is a massive network. You could also call the airline system a massive network of cities connected by airplane flights. Our whole electrical grid is a massive network. And one of the largest networks in the world is the telephone system, both wired and wireless. And then again, let’s not forget the Internet itself which connects us all to everything else. For our purposes here, our network definition is a system designed for communications via computers talking to one another or individuals talking to one another over cell phones. In all cases, a network is involved.