Forecasting the Future

Predicting the Future of the Internet and Technology

Evolution of the Internet

The internet has evolved so much since it was created in 1983. It began as a simple communication and research system and has evolved into an advanced network that has completely transformed the world. 

The evolution of the internet can sometimes go unnoticed in the fast-paced world of technological advancements. These improvements may go unnoticed because they are not "flashy", but they are essential and have made major contributions to the internet. 

Since its debut, people have been wondering how the future of the internet will impact technology and its overall influence on our society. This curiosity continues today and the question still stands: how will the internet affect us in the future?

Predicting Machines Replacing Jobs

The idea of a robot taking over the world has fueled dozens of science fiction movies, but in the near future, this may be a reality for the workforce.

There are so many machines already created that can perform manual tasks and understand basic requests, and with continued advancements in technology, this prediction is quickly becoming a reality.

In 2020, the World Economic Forum report predicted that "robotics and automation would displace 85 million jobs globally in the coming five years". The World Economic Forum report also predicted that technologies would create 97 million new jobs that would require more "skill and education".

This prediction created some panic and anxiety for people in an already unbalanced system of employment and job availability. But there will always be jobs that can not be replaced by AI technology and machines and will require humans for a creative, strategic, empathetic, and complex range of skills to successfully complete. Of course, these fields may be aided in the advancement of technology and development, but not completely replaced.

With the combination of advanced technology and the "ubiquity of the internet", these intellectual robots will contribute to a future of machines.

World Wide Web Interplanetary Internet

The next phase of the internet will include an internet connection on another planet.

Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, has set out on a mission to colonize Mars. SpaceX has aspirational goals to have a "crewed mission" on Mars in 2029 and expects to have internet access by 2030.

Why is internet access a priority in the mission to colonize Mars? Sometimes it's easy to forget the impact the internet has on our lives and how important it will be to a new settlement.

Once they successfully support human life on a different planet, it will be necessary to understand how the quality of life will be impacted. Humans' quality of life includes a source of food and water, health and fitness lifestyles, and entertainment outlets.

The internet is a huge component of supporting our quality of life and how we access information and communicate, which is essential to modern life on Earth. Creating an internet on Mars that can accommodate the same fundamentals will be important to establishing a colony on Mars.

In the video above, Curious Elephant discusses the challenges and possible solutions that will occur with establishing an internet connection on Mars.

The interplanetary internet will be a huge advancement in internet communication and will "lay the groundwork for a communications system for a manned mission to Mars and planets beyond".

Conclusion

There are countless predictions for the future of internet communication and what it will mean for us. In the next 15 years, it is possible that the internet will be completely unrecognizable in comparison to what it is today.

No matter what, I think the internet (in whatever form it may be in the future) will always be a huge component of our daily lives.