NEXT THREE YEARS: WHERE THE INTERNET WILL BE

1/11/2014 06:00:00 AM 0 Comments

by Douglas Idugboe 

There’s little doubt that the Internet is now an integral part of our daily lives. In fact, it’s hard to imagine our fate without Internet. Whether its education, entertainment, business or communication, the Internet has proven to be a blessing for humans in more ways than one. To that effect, I always wonder where the Internet is heading in the next three years and what would be the new face of Internet in year 2015.

Need for Speed

With advancements in technology, Internet speeds keep getting better each year. Whether it’s LTE or other 4G technologies, the need for speed game has proven to be a game changer for the Internet. I would expect Internet to serve as a superfast Information highway in the next 3 years. In fact, going forward, I foresee that accessing the Internet would be as speed as accessing information off your computer.

Internet TV

The line between TV and Internet is bridging fast. Though Internet TV has made its presence felt in the developing world, it’s still an exception rather than a norm in third world countries. I expect Internet TV to emerge as a clear winner over cable TV in the next three years. However, it would be interesting to see how the Internet copes with the bandwidth intensive demands of the TV industry.

Education

I expect the Internet to redefine the education sector in the next three years. Whether its students taking online lessons on their iPads in schools and colleges or the use of video conferencing technology to conduct educational webinars, I believe Internet will be at the core of the education sector in the next 3 years. Though paper books will still exist, Internet will emerge as the primary education medium.

Social Media

Social media is already the leading mainstream application on the Internet. Facebook has overtaken Google as the world’s most popular website and I reckon that social media will continue to grow at an explosive pace during the next three years. While it would be hard to build another social network of the stature of Facebook, I expect several new and interesting social networks such as Quora, Pinterest, and Google+, with its continuos quest for social dominance, to crop up in the next few years.

Business

By 2015, I expect a substantial proportion of small and medium businesses to go online. With growing awareness and simplified technology, I expect that Internet adoption in the business world will significantly increase over the next few years.

Fundamental Right

With the debate around net neutrality and disparity over bandwidth allocation, I expect Internet to emerge as a right for individuals in the next three years. Though the specifics remain clear, Internet access will soon be a necessity rather than a luxury for individuals and organizations alike.

Of course, these predictions are based on my judgment and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. How do you think the Internet will change over the next 3 years? Please have your say by leaving a comment.