Standardization of the early Internet: a search for socio-institutional factors

This paper provides an account of the development of the today's Internet based on the framework of social construction of technology (SCOT). It is argued that the major key characteristics of the Internet, its distributed structure, packet-switching protocol, and TCP/IP are products of historical contingencies rather than simple consequences from the relative superiority of those technologies. Relevant social groups, their interests and visions for the development of each of the characteristics are discussed in order to understand the socio-institutional factors in the history of the Internet.