The early Internet nearly died from lack of demonstrated usefulness.

Evidence

The Internet’s lack of utility was, in fact, a serious danger to its future throughout the 1970s, a very precarious moment in its history. Fortunately, as a government project, it didn’t actually have to make any money (had it been required to, there would have been no Internet). But eventually the Internet would have to prove of some use to someone, or face defunding. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 641

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to how other government-funded infrastructure (like DARPA projects described elsewhere) survived only by proving civilian usefulness. — connects to: Early internet popularity was constrained by dial-up speed and uncertain commerce through 2000 — W. David Marx, Blank Space: A Cultural History of the…, 164; Early internet buzz did not yet translate into commercial success — W. David Marx, Blank Space: A Cultural History of the…, 191; Microsoft’s billions could not force the creation of good Internet content — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 865

Broader Connections

• Early internet buzz did not yet translate into commercial success #corroborates (0.85) — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 191
• Early internet popularity was constrained by dial-up speed and uncertain commerce through 2000 #corroborates (0.80) — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 164
• Microsoft’s billions could not force the creation of good Internet content #qualifies (0.72) — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 865