The Future of the Internet

I liberated this from today's AMN.com. I've never been one to "live in the moment" very well, and as the year draws to a close, I tend to think about the future more and more - waiting for this year to end, and anticipating the beginning of a new year with new opportunities.

This article discusses changes that are brewing in the way we connect as a society. One conclusion I drew from it is that it is expected we will have significantly more sophisticated connectivity in the future, but this will not necessarily lead us to be more connected to each other. In other words, we'll have all kinds of ways to reach out and touch someone electronically, but this may not automatically lead to an actual physical connection that could encourage brand loyalty, friendship, integrity or any other aspects usually attributed to a solid friendship or business relationship. I would conclude that these changes in technology may make it more difficult than ever before to get the right message to the right market. Interesting times ahead!

Herman Trend Alert: The Future of the Internet


December 10, 2009, By Herman Trend Alert



Expect the changing Internet to have new and unexpected effects on many aspects of our lives, as its user interface evolves itself into more elaborate systems.


Our phones will continue their evolution being our primary devices for online access. Improvements in voice-recognition will be significant -- especially for those whose hands are less able to operate keyboards. Artificial and "augmented" reality will become more embedded in everyday life, and the very architecture of the Internet itself will improve. These findings reflected the beliefs of select Internet leaders, activists and analysts as reported by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The Pew Project asked respondents to assess predictions about technology and its roles in the year 2020. The panel of experts disagreed about whether this advancement will lead to more social tolerance, more forgiving human relations, or better home lives. In previous Herman Trend Alerts we have discussed the important role of mobile devices. These experts believe by the year 2020, mobile devices will be the primary connection tool to the Internet for most people in the world. For the last few years we have been reporting the rise of the mobile platform. In many countries where the infrastructure for landlines is less well developed, cell phones are the major medium for communication. The widespread established base of cell phone users will support this trend.


President Obama has long touted the importance of transparency. Technology will support the possibility of that transparency. The Pew Project forecasts that "transparency of people and organizations will increase." Unfortunately, that transparency "will not necessarily yield more personal integrity, social tolerance or forgiveness. Other key findings include that by 2020, "Voice recognition and touch user-interfaces with the Internet will be more prevalent and accepted" and globally, intellectual property law and copyright protection will continue to be a challenge to enforce, while others continue to find ways to copy and share content -- without payment. Divisions between personal time and work time and between physical and virtual reality will further evaporate with mixed effects in their impacts on basic social relations. Expect the changing Internet to have new and unexpected effects on many aspects of our lives, as its user interface evolves itself into more elaborate systems.

About the Author
Herman Trend AlertHerman Trend Alerts are written by Joyce Gioia, a strategic business futurist, Certified Management Consultant, author, and professional speaker. Archived editions are posted at http://www.hermangroup.com/archive.html