Web Of Tomorrow

The Internet has evolved from the its early days as U.S Department of Defense project into the foundation of World Wide Web and finally into what we use today to interact with one another via browsers, emails, Twitter, Skype and millions of other online tools.

So what the next step in its evolution and what is the big picture? Where will the web be in the fifty or even hundred years? Will internet help make the world looks like something out of Blade Runner or Minority Report?

I have googled the World Wide Web and the following is what I expect in the evolution of our online lives for the next 10 years:

1. The Web Will Be Accessible Everywhere

Our society couldn’t operate today without Wi-Fi, but it didn’t become prevalent until the early to mid-2000s. Before that, we used Ethernet cables and before that, our primary method of connecting to the web was via phone lines. Every few years, our method of accessing the web changes to be faster and more accessible.
Two things make me believe that the web will be accessible from anywhere and at any time: the rise of wireless 3G and 4G networks and the likelihood for nationwide Wi-Fi to blanket the U.S. and beyond.
Nationwide Wi-Fi is the more exciting prospect, though. In 2008, the Federal Communications Commission in US had an auction for the 700MHz wireless spectrum. A lot of attention was focused on that auction when Google joined as a multi-billion dollar bidder. See here for the related article. Some speculated that Google wanted to turn the spectrum into a nationwide Wi-Fi network in US. Once US get this started, I believed that it is only a matter of time before it reaches Singapore. Hence, a nationwide Wi-Fi network is still very possible and, in fact, seems logical given the direction of web technology today.
The point is that more devices will have access to these networks and that these networks will be more prevalent as time goes on. Ten to twenty years down the road, people will wonder how we managed with laptops disconnected from a Wi-Fi or 4G signal.

2. Web Access Will Not Focus Around The Computer

At present, we focus our internet use on Desktops and Laptops. In Japan and Singapore though, many more access the web primarily through their phones, a trend that is just beginning to sweep the globe. However, this is just the beginning. New Internet-enabled TVs will allow us to browse from the living room and soon our cars will become WI-FI hotspots.

In ten years, computers will only be a small percentage of how we use our web. We’re going to be accessing it from nearly every device and appliance we own.

3. Social Media Will Be The Largest Component

Stats published by Nielsen (as shown above) show that social media usage has increased by 82% in the last year. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, and social interaction are becoming the focus of our online interactions, even more than search.

We’re social creatures, so it was only a matter of time until we figured out how to make the web an efficient medium for communication, sharing, and forging friendships. Now that we’re finally implementing the social layer though, it’s tough to find a scenario where the rise of social media doesn’t continue.

In ten years, when you access the web, most of the time you spend will be to connect with your friends. Almost all of that will be on social networks and through social media. It will be the #1 reason why we ever pull out our phones, tablets, or computers.

4. Augmented Reality In Mobile Web Application

Given that most mobile devices now have built-in digital cameras (some with video capability), people would naturally now want functionality beyond simple photography. Augmented reality applications can have a range of potential benefits, from making it easier to find your way if you get lost to letting you identify the person sitting across from you at a party.

That last example has many security and privacy experts worried. Facial recognition software is improving all the time, and pretty soon using an augmented reality program on your mobile phone to find out who a person is might be possible. You’d just snap a picture of them, and the app would cross-reference it with social networking profiles and photos across the Web, eventually coming across a match. From there, you could see whatever information the person had chosen to make public about him or herself.

While many people still see augmented reality as the stuff of science fiction, the truth is that at least rudimentary apps are already available. Layar, a free augmented reality app, is available for both the iPhone and Android-based phones. It uses layers provided by a variety of content providers such as Flickr, Wikipedia and Twitter to display an overlay of information on your mobile screen. Other apps will likely follow.

I shall my entry with an interesting video I found online in relation to the future of internet. Enjoy!