THE EVOLUTION OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB

Tim Berners-Lee created the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) with the intention for it to be the standard markup language for creating web pages. It puts the structure in all elements, such as text and hyperlinks. The most revolutionary feature of HTML was the creation of hyperlinks, which allowed web pages to interconnect with other pages and documents (Medium, 2024). This attribute was what sparked the concept of the World Wide Web. These hyperlinks were able to construct interlinked networks of pages, making it easier to navigate and share information.

Earlier HTML web pages were primarily text-based with simple designs. As the Web continued to advance, it became more necessary to make web pages more accessible, multimedia-rich, cohesive, and interactive. This was when new HTML tags for images, audio, and videos were added to give web pages a more immersive experience. Its role in multimedia support has helped reduce the need for a lot of plugins from third parties, making websites more responsive with smoother interactions and a visually attractive layout (Sharif, 2024).

As smartphones and tablets became more popular in the 2000s, it became important for web pages to have a responsive web design. During this time, HTML5 was introduced, and it provided users with a more flexible feature that would auto-adapt to different screen sizes. Cascade Style Sheets (CSS) and JavaScript (JS) were also on the rise, which allowed users to pair them with HTML and take their creativity to another level.

Today, HTML is still one of the main elements of the World Wide Web and has helped shape modern web development. The majority of web development tools today use HTML as a framework when creating websites or mobile applications (Medium, 2024). Since its development, HTML has been able to adapt to emerging technologies so that as the World Wide Web continues to push the boundaries of innovation, we can also anticipate HTML and its other core technologies to continue to evolve next it.