When did the WWW become publicly available?
History of the World Wide Web
On August 6, 1991,[18] Berners-Lee posted a short summary of the World Wide Web project on the alt.hypertext newsgroup, inviting collaborators.[19] This date is sometimes confused with the public availability of the first web servers, which had occurred months earlier.
SIGNIS
From the 1970s on, the digital world did start expanding worldwide also in the Catholic world. The home computer meant that the digital world was entering fast into mass culture. It was as if it absorbed the bits and digits of mass culture like a lightning fire. The arrival of the first real digital camera in 1988 changed a lot – even more when photoshop shortly after came into being. A year later the World Wide Web was invented and soon became accessible for the general public. Around 1995, internet and the digital sound and images in all media and communications were introduced. Quickly mass culture became digital. In 1997 the first social networking website SixDegrees.com was launched. Nine years later Facebook entered the world. Social media became definitely part of the digital world and often attracts all the attention of the user day and night. The digital evolution has entered into virtually every part of life and society, from young children to adults and the elderly. Catholic communicators were attentive to this evolution. All this shapes a greater part of the world view and view of life of ever more people, which implies ethical aspects. The Vatican was also alert to this evolution. The Pontifical Council for Social Communications (PCSS) published a series of documents on this topic such as Ethics in Advertising (1997), Ethics in Communications (2000), and Ethics in Internet (2001). During the discussion which led to this document on ethics in Internet, Pope John Paul II supported the reflection of the PCSS. He felt the urgency to have a kind of guidance in this field. In "Ethics in Internet", he considered the digital as a great help to the Church’s pastors and faithful in facing the many challenges of the emerging media culture. He wrote: