Tim Berners-Lee Invents the World Wide Web

One of the key moments in mass-media art but also in human history, Berners-Lee’s invention revolutionized the digital landscape as the visionary computer scientist conceived of the concept of the World Wide Web (WWW). The invention was also critical to the eventual development of NFTs. Working at CERN, he proposed a decentralized system to share and retrieve information, laying the foundation for the Internet we know today. By the end of 1990 he had built the first browser, server and web page, ushering in a new era of global communication. Berners-Lee’s invention broke down technological barriers, democratizing access to information. The rise of mass-media technology and art were critical steps in enabling NFTs. Thus, this can be seen as a critical step in the development of digital art, such as net art. Also, more broadly speaking, it’s a major step towards the global, collaborative and instantly shareable art environment we enjoy today.