So what is all this information doing to you?

A view from the ABC's Catalyst program:

"On October 29th, 1969, the world's first internet message was sent between two computers in California. It consisted of the letter 'L', followed by 'O'. Then the system crashed..."

The report takes up the story forty years later at: http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/3613311.htm (eight minutes).