What is the first movie and/or novel to mention the Internet?

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Specifically the word, I mean.

― Barry S., Thursday, 15 January 2004 11:33 (twenty-two years ago)

sorry i have no idea but i love the fact that the new girlie terminator bot on Terminator 3 now comes with an internal modem.

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 15 January 2004 11:37 (twenty-two years ago)

An obvious first marker: 1995's The Net

Slaughter of the Innocents (1994) is the earliest film in the IMDB with internet as one of the plot-tags.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 15 January 2004 11:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Also Goldeneye (1995)

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 15 January 2004 11:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Hackers was also 1995, I think.

― caitlin (caitlin), Thursday, 15 January 2004 11:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Was there any internet in Lawnmower Man (1992)?

I imagine there was some in Wild Palms (1993), but that's telly.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 15 January 2004 11:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Disclosure (1994)? I never saw it.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 15 January 2004 11:57 (twenty-two years ago)

I have a feeling Sneakers (1992) mentions it, but cannot be sure.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 15 January 2004 11:59 (twenty-two years ago)

It's all about the chip, though isn't it? I seem to remember it being very physical about it's computers, like it would prefer to still have spinning reels of tape.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 15 January 2004 12:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't remember who was recently pointing out that the internet has died out by Minority Report. All the case files are physically on little disks that have to be put into a reader.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 15 January 2004 12:10 (twenty-two years ago)

it SHOULD have been WarGames, natch

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Thursday, 15 January 2004 12:49 (twenty-two years ago)

It would have improved D.A.R.R.Y.L. immensely.

― Matt (Matt), Thursday, 15 January 2004 12:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I think WarGames qualifies, if only because they were using a modem and hacking.

― suzy (suzy), Thursday, 15 January 2004 13:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Checked script, its not in Sneakers. Hmm.

I think we are looking for the actual term internet though.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 15 January 2004 13:09 (twenty-two years ago)

sneakers is the movie i would have liked Mission Impossible to be

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Thursday, 15 January 2004 13:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Surely "Information superhighway" pre-1999?

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 15 January 2004 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

"The Shockwave Rider" by John Brunner doesn't specifically use the term "internet", but has a very similar system as an integral part of its plot. It even includes proto-hackers and proto-virii. It's a really forward-thinking piece, I can't remember when it was written, but it was a good few years ago.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 15 January 2004 13:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe not the word 'internet', but didn't William Gibson first use the word "cyberspace" in Neuromancer (1984)?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 15 January 2004 13:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Douglas Adams gets very close with Ethernet but no cigar there.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:19 (twenty-two years ago)

it's all about the word "internet", if we're on about earliest books with something internet-like, ppl usually cite Forster's The Machine Stops.

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I was actually wondering when the term "Internet" was first used in a movie or novel, rather than movies/novels about Internet-like computer networks (in which case, the first movie might be "Desk Set" in 1957). I was just interested to see when exactly it had gained enough mainstream currency to be referenced in a film or novel.

― Barry S., Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:38 (twenty-two years ago)

And I'm guessing it'll be something in 1994, since the Internet really took off in 1992/3 and it takes at least a year or so to get a film/book project up and running.

― Barry S., Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

The concept or reference to the actual current internet?

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Thursday, 15 January 2004 15:07 (twenty-two years ago)

THE WORD 'INTERNET'

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 15 January 2004 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry, I'm not actually cross. I just enjoy this kind of joke, imagining that the questioner is getting really mad. It's a bit like the Cozen birthday thread.

Maybe you were taking the piss, anyway.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 15 January 2004 15:33 (twenty-two years ago)

wasnt there a movie called "youve got mail" in 1994? maybe this was it?

― kephm, Thursday, 15 January 2004 16:02 (twenty-two years ago)

you've got mail was from 1998.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 15 January 2004 16:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Disclosure (1994) is probably the first Hollywood flick I remember using e-mail as a plot device.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 15 January 2004 16:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I bought Sneakers the other day on DVD. I heart the bit where Ben Kingsley says he can bring the whole damn system down. I get goose bumps, before the film liberals out. Bah.

Anyway, back to thread. Neil Stephenson book maybe?

― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 15 January 2004 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Why specifically the word- why not "cyberspace" circa 1980. Also proto-"cyberpunk": late 60's to 70's John Brunner, Bug Jack Barron (Norman Spinrad 1968), The Demolished Man (Alfred Bester 1953), all have internet-like concepts central to the stories.

― sucka (sucka), Thursday, 15 January 2004 19:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Because that's the question being asked, is why.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 15 January 2004 19:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Hollywood Minute:

DS: Did you see that movie about the talking pig?
CF: Babe?
DS: No, The Net.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 15 January 2004 21:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Does it have to be in CAPS?

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Thursday, 15 January 2004 23:58 (twenty-two years ago)

I was rereading The Crow Road by Iain Banks today, and found that it mentions email, Usenet and the Internet. Its copyright date is 1992; it's set in 1989.

― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

five months pass...

REVIVE!

― Revivalist (Revivalist), Monday, 19 July 2004 11:06 (twenty-one years ago)

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