Internet’s future in 2020 debated [BBC]
The internet will be a thriving, low-cost network of billions of devices by 2020, says a major survey of leading technology thinkers.
The Pew report on the future internet surveyed 742 experts in the fields of computing, politics and business.
More than half of respondents had a positive vision of the net’s future but 46% had serious reservations.
Almost 60% said that a counter culture of Luddites would emerge, some resorting to violence.
The Pew Internet and American Life report canvassed opinions from the experts on seven broad scenarios about the future internet, based on developments in the technology in recent years.
– Press coverage: BBC News | San Francisco Chronicle
– Comment by Loïc Le Meur (Six Apart)
– Read press release
– Read fact sheet
– Read report summary (pdf, 80.4 kb, 9 pages)
– Project website “The future of the internet” (Elon University / Pew/Internet)
[…] Several sites (1,2) the past few days have referred to the ‘The future of the internet II‘ report recently published by the Pew Internet & American life project (summary). The study surveyed about 750 people on their views and expectations on the evolution of the Internet with a timehorizon of 2020. Comments have been uttered about the fears and expectations being heavily scifi-induced or scifi-oriented. From a futures studies perspective, one might be curious and wonder about the outcome of this study in case it would have been set up as a participatory scenario analysis instead of as a survey (based on a wider cultural spread of participants, with a more diverse set of themes, perspectives, impacts on and of the internet and its nature, etc.). Perhaps more interesting than the survey itself is their site ‘Imagining the Internet, a history and forecast‘ where people can share their views on the future of the internet, featuring some interesting visions, dreams, fears, etc. […]