In Friday’s class, the Internet Society or ISOC was briefly mentioned in class. So, I thought I would find out more and share it here. From the class I learned that the ISOC provides Internet related standards, enabling more sharing around the world. However after checking up, I realized that there is more.
The ISOC is a nonprofit organization, which began in 1992, providing leadership to Internet related issues such as standards, education and policies. The organization’s main aim to allow make sure that Internet is accessible to everyone and does benefit everyone in the world. By putting in place standards and policies, they can ensure that the Internet is continuously progressing.
While browsing through their website (http://www.isoc.org/), I chance upon some videos and literature regarding the future of the Internet. According to the website, they have came up with 4 possible scenarios of the future of the Internet in the next 10 years.
4 scenarios (The Videos: http://www.isoc.org/tools/blogs/scenarios/)
1. Common Pool Scenario: Internet continues to be built on open technologies and processes, fostering permission-less innovation, economic growth, and social development. This future also means that more and more technology becoming open, and more and more services integrating user-generated content. This is one of the most possible one in my opinion as part of it can be seen in the technology of ipad.
2. Boutique Networks Scenario: Tells us about the Internet dying, taken over by government. Connection would not be as easy as before.
3. Moats and Drawbridges Scenario: The Internet is fractioned, controlled by those who have power over us. Profits precede freedom of speech.
4. Porous Garden Scenario: The Internet still is a globally connected network; however, large corporations still control the Internet. Technologies are closed and exclusive, creating greater barriers of entry.
Technologies and services are growing at such a rapid speed that it is almost unthinkable when we first started the millennium. Nobody knows what will happen to the Internet 10 years from now. Given the past record, anything could happen, good or bad, the future of the Internet is definitely worth given a thought.
