Week 11 EOC: The Future of the Internet

The future of the internet is likely to move and change quickly. 10 years ago, we'd never have imagined the kind of computing power we now take for granted. The speed at which information travels is already blindingly fast, and will keep increasing exponentially as new advancements are made.

Even a mere 5 years ago, features like bar code scanning, online banking, entire music libraries and photos would not have been portable and unilaterally accessible as they are from our phones now.

Alvin Toffler painted a bleak picture of technology back in 1971, when he posted we’d all end up cut off, isolated and oppressed by our technology. Shel Israel at Forbes.com writes; “He coined the term “information overload,” and painted a picture of people who were isolated and depressed, cut off from human intimacy by a relentless fire hose of messages and data barraging us relentlessly.” He goes on to say, "But we are not isolated by it. And when the information overloads us, most people are still wise enough to use the power of the ‘Off’ button to gain some peace, or perhaps they take a beach walk or tend their gardens." http://www.forbes.com

In some ways Toffler was right, in that we do get overloaded with information, and there are now issues like cyber-bullying and ID Theft to deal with, but we also gain a lot. When else in history could people find others who share their interests from across the globe? When else could we have bought and sold items online as we do now? Works of art are collaborated on from across continents, bringing artists and appreciators together like never before. http://www.hitrecord.org/

Technology keeps advancing, and I think we will soon have Google Glasses (or some future iteration of the idea) as integral to our daily lives as cellphones have become. Perhaps even digital prosthetics or implants. The tech is already in development, but I sure don’t look forward to having a trip to the Apple store involve removing a cyber-eye, or pulling a chip out of my forearm to reboot it. But  think it’s coming.