Week 11 EOC: The Future of the Internet

Five years ago, who would have thought that the Internet would be here? In Alvin Toffler's book, "Future Shock", he talks about how we as society have been overloaded with information. Since the Internet first came out, technology has been advancing faster than expected in a short period of time. The speed of technological evolution is so fast, it is hard for society to keep up. This is where Alvin's shock theory comes into play. He believed the accelerated rate of technological and social change left people disconnected and suffering from "shattering stress and disorientation"—future shocked. (http://izquotes.com/quote/185697)

 “In only a few short years, electronic computing systems have been invented and improved at a tremendous rate. But computers did not ‘just grow.’ They have evolved… They were born and they are being improved as a consequence of man’s ingenuity, his imagination… and his mathematics.” — 1958 IBM brochure (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/08/11/the-future-of-the-internet/)

In my point of view, I can see where this is all coming from. I noticed that as soon as a new technological product comes out, it becomes obsolete within a matter of weeks or months. Everyday my computer is constantly asking me to update software for different programs. As soon as I install an operating system on my computer, a new operating system comes out. I remember going through Windows 95, 98, ME, XP, Vista, 7, and 8 like candy. So what does this say about the future of the internet? What this means is that by the time we reach another 5 years, we may double, triple, or even quadruple the technological productivity we have accomplished over the first 5 years. With this much power, there are pros and cons. The pros include more job openings in the technology industry. Another pro is that we will be so far advanced, that common difficult tasks will no longer be difficult. The cons include society becoming so reliant on technology, we may become dependent on technology alone. By the time our grandchildren become adults, they may become completely helpless without technology and won’t have the physical work ethic that older generations have learned in the past. Will our society be able to recognize these issues and quickly adapt to the changes as fast as technology is changing? For our children's sake, I hope so.

"Eventually, the average consumer will be able to download a high-definition movie in a second or play cloud-based video games without a hint of lag." (http://www.howstuffworks.com/future-of-the-internet.htm)