The Future of the INTERNET in 2019

Com 125 Weekly Blog Entry No. 10

My Life & The Internet at Present

So after having ourselves submerged into virtual reality so often, at times, we get lost and are completely unaware of our infatuation towards online consumption. I am no acception myself, having spent almost 4 - 5 hours a day on the Internet with my Social Networking Sites; Facebook, Friendster, Myspace, and my newly applied account on Twitter. Additionally, having to do extensive Research for my college papers due on the first week of April '09 and lastly, replying Emails or Instant Messaging.

That sums up how the Internet has consummate most of my online daily activities.

The Internet in 2019

How exactly my life will converge from the present Internet age to whatever is going to be in 2019 actually scares me. Let's say for example, everyone who uses the Internet has to manually enter a virtual world in order to access information, meaning really having to physically plug ourselves into the Internet so we can experience unlimited access and connectivity within the realm of virtual reality. So what do we get? Simply put, we are going to be appearing like the MATRIX.

Stuck in Virtual Reality and everything is controlled by Machines or perhaps one ruler?

NOTICE ANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO??
KFC might be the Matrix architect?
GUESS AGAIN.....

Let's get Real

Let us reexamine this proposition from a different perspective, we have observed Microsoft Surface Techonology and how it is changing people's lives. We have seen the power of Multimedia and how it has also evolved around consumers. This may not be the best example featured, however, observe the technological advancements featured in this video clip and you will come to realize how much things would have transformed when we are in 2019.

Although this video merely highlights information which is the tip of the ice berg, imagine life totally wired up anywhere, and technologies that are limitless. E-cards, E-paper, E this E that, our lives will turn into a wired up island almost dominated by the people who control the networks.

Assumptions & Discussions

E-Business

Organizations and companies would increase their infrastructures and constantly upgrade their systems to meet the demands of customers. It would appear that E- Biz models would see a huge expansion of companies integrating the concepts for their individual business.

Like this diagram illustrates, there would be vast communication interactions occurring between clients and businesses yet, proper security measure would be in place. Although this may seem like any other business concept or diagram, imagine the possibilities of what this future model could do for generating profits. With a connection like that, businesses will benefit from their own Intranet systems along with the support of the Internet for allowing external intake of potential clients and customers.

E-Commerce

Unlimited access to information at the click of you mouse. The demands for E-Commerce would exceed its expectations and it will only continue to grow and grow as technology continues to evolve.

From this to.....this below

The entire world would be connected and it is going to be a global mess of more then 114trillion users from all walks of life accessing the Internet. We'd be all connected to the realm of virtual reality.

Education

Virtual classrooms, lecturers, technology, and a shift in the teaching methods. In certain aspects, students would experience a whole new structure to education and new insights and new teaching styles shall converge and utilize the Internet and the commuication capabilities that would be available to all schools.

Entertainment

Lives will be changed, people will no longer go to clubs, teenagers wil meet up on social networking sites to meet up and have a virtual gathering there. For example, online Avatars meeting up and having fun in a virtual club. Goodbye real life interactions.... Hello life on the Internet.

Honestly, this only increases the digital divide, and it passively affects real life communication. Social problems will arise, perhaps going to clubs is still a preferred choice for myself, at least, i know i have friends, and they are real.

Social Relations

Virtually, online communication will be enhanced. Onlie web tools like youtube for movies, twitter news for different updates, and many more other social networks which might promote digital mass teleconferencing which span across globes. Families, friends, professionals, medical practitioners, organizations, businesses, and online virtual relationships would benefit from the digitization of technology.

On the other hand, we must be aware of the consequences of being Internet Literate that it is always better to have real life communication with real friends and not be totally absorbed into online activities. As what Enya says in her song, '' who can say where the road goes, who knows only time."

How exactly will we appear in 2019?

Our future looks endangered, but the Internet realm looks like a world of no boundaries if you ask me. Machines will someday rule the world and that will mark the end of civilization. New lives are born and destroyed, computers decide your fate, rules are governed by machines, and human beings become monotonously robotic.

If you ask me, our future will look like this picture below.

Streets, towns, buildings, roads, transportation, and many more elements would be in the form of micro chips or miniature parts of a circuit world which is heavily wired into the Internet worldwide. No longer will humans be regarded as humans, we will transform into machines and become enslaved by the Internet.

No doubt, there will be wonderful outcomes which benefit people.On the other hand, if this becomes uncontrollable, then everyone would be sucked into the Internet. Another example which scares me is the fact that someone might one day decide to conquer the world by proposing that everyone becomes one with the Internet and it would be inevitable to ignore when governments, leaders, countries, the entire population becomes trapped and life existence becomes meaningless.

Will you ever come to know of your actual existence? Will new-born babies enter the world peacefully or mechanically?

Are you going to be enslaved and consumed completely by the Internet in 2019? Or are you going to be one leader who will help others to overcome Internet consumption.

Janna Quitney Anderson, lead author of the report The Future of the Internet II.
She added: "One of their big concerns is: Who controls the internet architecture they have created?"

Conclusion

In sum, although there have been negative connotations about the Internet, the future of the Internet still is a question which you and I have yet to witness. For now, we shall leave it as it is.

Let us enjoy, embrace, educate, inform, reform, control, and understand how the Internet can benefit and improve our lives instead of abusing it.