In the days of science fiction past, authors had to dream up the world of the future, they could not fathom a world beyond basic electronics. They envisioned worlds where everything remained hard-wired, and nuclear technologies would rule on high. What the dreamers of the past could never conceive of was a world where information would flow through the air, be stored in floating “clouds,” and people would be more linked to each other like never before.
Right now, there are more than 3 billion of us all connected to the internet, and internet sensors connecting to the internet reaching somewhere near the 5 billion mark. The Internet of Things (IoT) as we know it is small compared to what is to come. Predictions are that it’s coming sooner than we can imagine. We are entering the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, technology is fusing with everything, even humans.
Though no one knows for sure exactly what the future of the internet will be, there does seem to be some consensus about what is in store for us in the foreseeable future. The first prediction from those who are building the framework of the future is that the internet will be, is that the internet will soon be like electricity. Not only will more billions of people have access to it, but it will be a part of just about everything in our daily lives, from our clothes to the closets they are stored in.
The second prediction is that by bringing the internet and, theoretically, the level of connectivity that we 5 billion current users have to the rest of the planet will bring on a new age of greater global connectivity. That kind of impact could mean that tensions between countries could ease, fostering an era of new peaceful relationships and opportunities to establish trade and partnerships.
This connectivity is also forecast to revolutionize global education, offering billions access to online education systems without the need for costly schools and teachers in financially-strapped regions.
Third, it has been predicted that everything in our lives—our coffee mugs, sunglasses, and toilet bowls—will all be providing us with feedback, largely about our health. Science fiction movies of late have given us peeks of this type of emerging technology, and smart toilets are already in development.
Fourth, surveillance and security issues will rise considerably. Cybercrime is already on the rise, and unfortunately, large-scale safety measures continue to lag behind what is needed to secure the 5 billion connected devices, institutions, and agencies with potential for data breaches.
Surveillance is listed as one of the primary concerns for industry leaders surveyed about what the future of the internet could be. With the amount of sensors many believe will be giving feedback about everything about you, this can lead to an all too invasive data bank of humans’ personal lives. Many fear that a rise in security risks will likely coincide with a rise in convenience and safety over privacy.
There are lot of things to look forward to, and a lot of things we hope will make life on this planet a lot better for a lot more people. We have spent thirty years living with the internet so far, and the rapid rise of new technologies from a ton of sources the world over has led industry experts to believe that innovation will begin snowballing over the next five years.
No matter what the future of the internet holds, Bluespan Wireless will be there to connect you to it.