Take a minute to remember how different life was in 1991. If you wanted to call a friend you would have to use a landline. Why? Because mobile technology was still many years away from hitting the mainstream. If you wanted to send a written message to relatives overseas you would have to use the post office. It will be quite a while before domain names like hotmail become synonymous with email technology. So much has changed in the last 20 years, but how will the world be different in 2020?
You can guarantee that the most innovative and revolutionary changes will take place in the digital sector. So what will the internet look like in 2020?
1. More Centralised
We can see this trend developing at the present moment. Facebook, Google and Microsoft are becoming incredibly powerful on the internet. Every few months we hear the same story – Microsoft has bought Skype, Google has acquired YouTube; and there is little sign of these digital giants slowing down.
2. More Open Source Development
In response to the growing influence of the big digital firms, open source technology is expected to rapidly increase as small-time developers become more and more sophisticated. Expect to see hundreds of high quality open source software suites on the market by 2020.
3. The Internet Will Be Faster and Cheaper
Expect to see broadband rates decrease in the near future. Web hosting and dedicated servers will be much cheaper as well.
4. Writing and Reading
On a more personal level, the influence of the internet by 2020 is expected to dramatically change the way we read and write. Gone are the days of lengthy essay-like blog entries – a more likely scenario is that shorthand will begin to dominate the online sphere. Twitter users are very familiar with this phenomenon.
5. Lack of Online Anonymity
Because of the growing influence of hackers and websites like Wikileaks, it is likely that by 2020 the internet will be much more closely monitored.
6. More Wired Applications
By 2020, it is expected that almost every device will be wired to the internet – from microwaves to sofas. Furthermore, more applications will be specifically designed to be net friendly.
7. Personal ID Number
With growing security concerns regarding online behavior, many security analysts predict that by 2020 some nations will have implemented a personal ID number for online users.
8. Mobile Internet
Mobile internet technology is very new, but many feel that by 2020 it will be the most popular way to browse the web. Many sites will be specifically catered towards mobile devices.
9. More Processes Will Move Online
Although you can do your grocery shopping online, many people still prefer to buy their groceries in person. This is expected to change by 2020, with more internet savvy customers choosing to utilize online processes.
10. Cloud Computing
Cloud computing has only just hit the mainstream with the recent release of Apple’s iCloud. By 2020 you can expect that millions of internet users will store all of their non-vital information on the cloud.
The future is never easy to predict, but current trends are all pointing to a 2020 that is more connected but more centralized.
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