Social media. Boon or bane? I can't decide. In some ways it's one of the best things to have happened to the internet since its birth. It has allowed for free and open sharing of ideas and content. No longer is information controlled by central organizations. Everybody can have access to information that can be uploaded by anybody else with a web connection. It establishes connectivity and fosters an online, virtual global community. Social networking websites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter seem to be taking over the globe at the moment. The ease by which we can establish contact with anybody in the world is truly astounding.
The web is not moving in a new direction. Web 2.0 will soon give way to Web 3.0. In Web 3.0, which may soon be referred to as the "intelligent web" or "The Data Web", the internet will be so integrated in our lives it would be more difficult to NOT be online. Other than mobile devices, you would be connected in your everyday tools such as your car, your television and even your watch, clothes and microwave! It will attempt to bring some sort of order to the internet after the information explosion that was Web 2.0. The Web will become more organized, making it easier to find and do exactly what you want on the web. A host of programs will also use 3D imaging which will definitely blow the minds of consumers.
All these advancements in internet technology will bring about an age of mankind unlike no other. We are just at the tip of the iceberg at the moment, waiting to delve into the abyss of the digital realm. It is exciting, yes, but I fear many problems will arise from this new age. Already the generations of today are so absorbed in electronic devices that virtual realities can somewhat replace physical reality. Many people are losing touch with what's real and what's not and this brings about a litany of social issues that will only get worse with time, especially with the world moving in the direction it is.
Not only will children need an education to battle potential poverty, they will need access to the internet and all the new technologies, otherwise they will just be one of those left behind. As money is needed to attain these electronic devices, the divide between the succesful and the non-successful per se will be defined not only by the education (which by the way is not getting cheaper), but also by the depth of the pockets of their families.
We already live in a scary world where violence and immoralities are rampant. Who knows what these alternate realities, that the internet does and will soon offer in greater capacity, will do to us.
The internet, boon or bane to mankind? Time will tell.
The web is not moving in a new direction. Web 2.0 will soon give way to Web 3.0. In Web 3.0, which may soon be referred to as the "intelligent web" or "The Data Web", the internet will be so integrated in our lives it would be more difficult to NOT be online. Other than mobile devices, you would be connected in your everyday tools such as your car, your television and even your watch, clothes and microwave! It will attempt to bring some sort of order to the internet after the information explosion that was Web 2.0. The Web will become more organized, making it easier to find and do exactly what you want on the web. A host of programs will also use 3D imaging which will definitely blow the minds of consumers.
All these advancements in internet technology will bring about an age of mankind unlike no other. We are just at the tip of the iceberg at the moment, waiting to delve into the abyss of the digital realm. It is exciting, yes, but I fear many problems will arise from this new age. Already the generations of today are so absorbed in electronic devices that virtual realities can somewhat replace physical reality. Many people are losing touch with what's real and what's not and this brings about a litany of social issues that will only get worse with time, especially with the world moving in the direction it is.
Not only will children need an education to battle potential poverty, they will need access to the internet and all the new technologies, otherwise they will just be one of those left behind. As money is needed to attain these electronic devices, the divide between the succesful and the non-successful per se will be defined not only by the education (which by the way is not getting cheaper), but also by the depth of the pockets of their families.
We already live in a scary world where violence and immoralities are rampant. Who knows what these alternate realities, that the internet does and will soon offer in greater capacity, will do to us.
The internet, boon or bane to mankind? Time will tell.
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