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The future of the Internet



How will we surf in the future?

How will we surf in the future?

With news that ICANN has approved plans for domains names to now be allowed in Chinese, Arabic and other non-Latin-script, it is another step in the Worldwide Web growing, evolving and changing....but what else does the future of the internet hold?

Portability

As the internet becomes more readily available on devices such as smart-phones, it is fair to say that people will want more portability from The Net.


Louis Nauges, president of Microcost, a French information technology firm, says that mobile devices will be at the forefront of the net.


"Mobile internet will be dominant," he explained. "By 2020, most mobile networks will provide one-gigabit-per-second-minimum speed, anywhere, anytime.


"Dominant access tools will be mobile, with powerful infrastructure characteristics. All applications will come from the net."


Intergration of household objects

As we expect more from our phones, it is almost certain that we'll demand more from our other household products. Currently, the internet provides us with the ability to choose when we want to watch certain shows, but in January Microsoft unveiled a display of a hardware and software platform for the next generation of more useful and flexible household objects.

Among these objects was a 'net clock' that as well as giving you the time, can download and display a stock ticker and local traffic and weather reports. There were also digital photo frames that could download users latest photos from websites as well as anything else on the internet like news, sports scores and even movies.

"The myriad gadgets of everyday life are getting smarter and more useful," said the release. "But what may come as a surprise is that household appliances and devices are about to get connected to the outside world through cyberspace."

"Imagine having your alarm clock not only wake you up but also remind you what your first appointment of the day is and calculate how long it will take you to drive to work based on current traffic conditions." said Steve Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of the Original Equipment Manufacturer Division at Microsoft.

Benefit to society?


There are those that feel the growth of the internet would be an overwhelming benefit to society, capable of educating the masses and giving people access to all possible information as well as a context to understand it. This will be mainly through social media as people openly share their experiences, thoughts and feelings about everything from the news to things happening in their lives.


However, there are those that disagree, who think that such openness on the internet will have a detrimental effect on society with an increasing number of people opting to live their lives online inside 'virtual worlds'.


Glenn Ricart, a board member at the Internet Society, warned also of potential dangers. He envisaged "an entire generation opting-out of the real world and a paradoxical decrease in productivity as the people who provide the motive economic power no longer are in touch with the realities of the real world".


Big Brother society?


There are fears though, that a "fully-networked society" would lead to a Big Brother society, with the government or other companies able to access every part of our lives.


In response, it is predicted that if this becomes the future of the internet, there could be 'cyber-terrorist groups' dedicated to preventing technology's hold in every aspects of our lives.


Speaking to the BBC in 2006, Ed Lyell, an expert on the internet and education, said "Today's eco-terrorists are the harbingers of this likely trend.


"Every age has a small percentage that cling to an overrated past of low technology, low energy, lifestyle."


It is believed that most of these terrorist activities would be over issues such as privacy.


Of course, the future of the internet can go beyond what is merely predicted here into something much more incredible and/or weird. Who'd have predicted the fact that 'tweeting' would have taken off?

 

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