The phrase, coined throughout a 2006 U.S. Senate listening to, refers metaphorically to the web. It grew to become a well known and sometimes ridiculed illustration of a perceived lack of information of web know-how by legislators. For instance, the speaker used this time period when describing how info travels throughout the web.
The importance lies in its illustration of the challenges of successfully regulating or legislating advanced technological infrastructures when a basic grasp of their operational mechanics is absent. This explicit phrasing highlighted the necessity for policymakers to develop into higher knowledgeable concerning the applied sciences they’re making an attempt to manipulate, particularly as these applied sciences develop into more and more integral to fashionable society and the economic system. It serves as a reminder of the significance of technological literacy in public coverage.
