In the mid 90s, the internet began to grow in popularity. People were starting to instant message and email each other using dial up internet that seems crude and primitive by today’s standards. Since then, speeds and technology have improved, and more people are online than ever. Internet companies have come and gone, and many people have used this versatile resource for both good and evil. The internet audience is quite broad and can be fickle, so predicting how the internet will evolve can be tricky. There are a few things that seem likely to happen though.
Thievery is pretty commonplace on the internet. It is so easy to download music, movies and even video games for free. So easy that some people no longer purchase that stuff legally anymore. If the entertainment industry has anything to do about it, this will be a thing of the past. Numerous bills like S.O.P.A. and P.I.P.A. have been introduced to Congress, and have been rejected. It is likely one of these bills will get passed eventually, and illegal downloading will become harder. There are some internet companies around today like iTunes and Steam that make purchasing digital media easy and affordable. More companies are likely to emulate and ultimately improve on that business model.
Technology continues to evolve, and computers are at the forefront. Microsoft’s Kinect device is fun to use on the Xbox 360, but is also being integrated for more practical purposes on computers. A newer version of Kinect is currently in development, and it will likely be utilized in future computers, as well as video game consoles. The technology will become more sophisticated, and current features like voice commands and hand gestures will become commonplace for some websites. Voice commands are now commonplace with smart phones, but could easily be used to access websites without the use of a keyboard and mouse.
Speed and connectivity are much better than they were a decade ago. Kilobytes per second are nearly a thing of the past, and it is likely megabytes per second will likely become antiquated with the advent of gigabytes per second. Right now wireless internet is steadily improving, but connectivity and speed is still an issue. I foresee the technology improving and becoming faster and more reliable.
The internet is an ever expanding entity, and it will likely be a part of out lives forever. Internet companies will continue to grow along with the technology that makes their e-commerce possible. It is hard to say how the internet will evolve over the next decade, but it is easy to speculate. It will also be fun to see what happens next.