The Internet was born at the end of the ’60s (not to be confused with the World Wide Web, which was born in 1989) and has continued to grow and change shape over time. The network became accessible to the public in the 1980s. Windows and Apple created systems that made the use of the computer easier. In the ’90s, Netscape, AOL and Google came along and allowed Internet users to connect using intuitive and simple platforms.
The future of the Internet is wide open, and we have as many questions as there are imaginable possibilities. Faced with this expanding universe, we wanted to describe how we imagined the Web in 5 years. It’s a relatively short period, but given the speed at which technologies evolve, it’s still a rather hazardous exercise. Of course, these are only predictions based on the state of current technologies and on the directions some researchers seem to take.
1. The end of loading time
The first big difference with the Web we know today will be a virtual disappearance of loading times, whatever the device used to connect. To try to imagine this very probable future, your Web pages will be displayed instantly, like those of a TV program.
By 2025, we will be able to have very high-speed connections. This will be made possible by StarLink satellite constellations, 5G and the widespread use of fiber optics. To broadcast and access ever more resource-intensive content, ISPs and operators will have no choice but to focus on speed to keep their customers and try to win over new ones.
2. Instant access to the Internet
Today, you can connect to a WIFI hotspot in a café, restaurant, airport, etc. First, you have to find the network and then probably identify yourself with a key and a login to enter. It’s just unbearable! If you’ve ever tried to connect in this way and lost ten minutes, you’ll understand.
Within 5 years, we can hope to access the network simply by opening our phone (or laptop). Entering a bunch of codes and searching for a network to connect with will be a distant memory. This change will probably be driven by the IoT as more and more connected devices require instant access to the Internet.
3. Blockchain is the future
Blockchain technology has far-reaching applications across many industries. Blockchain is already used to facilitate identity management, smart contracts, supply chain analysis, and much more. The full potential of blockchain technology likely remains to be discovered.
Smart Contracts
Smart contracts are often seen as a highly powerful application of blockchain technology. These contracts are actually computer programs that can oversee all aspects of an agreement, from facilitation to execution. When conditions are met, smart contracts can be entirely self-executing and self-enforcing. For proponents of smart contracts, these tools provide a more secure, more automated alternative to traditional contract law, as well as an application that is faster and cheaper than traditional methods.
The potential applications of smart contract technology are essentially limitless and could extend to almost any field of business in which contract law would normally apply. Of course, while highly touted, smart contracts are not a magical substitute for old-fashioned diligence. In fact, the case of the Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) is a cautionary tale and a warning to investors to not assume that smart contracts are any better than the information and organization that a user puts into them. Nonetheless, smart contracts remain one of the most exciting ways that blockchain technology has already extended beyond the cryptocurrency space and into the broader business world.
4. Augmented reality is the norm
Have you ever heard of the Noovie application? It’s an app that allows you, for example, to interact with what’s on the screen when you’re at the movies. Shortly, our smartphone screens will broadcast very high-definition images, which will naturally democratize augmented reality in our daily lives.
We can therefore expect more and more websites to implement augmented reality and virtual reality. And we can bet that these technologies will soon be found on our social networks. Let’s not fool ourselves, companies are creating these applications to interact with customers by adding an extra dimension to the experience.
5. Universal access
Within 5 years, several billion people will be connected to the Internet. In some countries, the population access rate is already close to 100%. The most reasonable projections show that within 5 years, almost the entire world population will probably be connected to the Internet.
Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT) and satellite constellations, the current share will therefore continue to decrease towards total connectivity of the world population. Even for farming communities and other very remote areas.
6. An Internet without computers
Speaking of the IoT, we should expect that we will access the Internet differently. The future and access to the web will no longer depend solely on a smartphone or computer. It is already possible to access the network from different types of devices (I’m thinking of smart home features, for example). We have seen this change happen with the use of Alexa and Google Home.
The extremely massive development of the IoT will give us access to the internet all day every day via a wide variety of devices.
More fruit? No problem, our connected fridge will come online, order our usual amount of fruit, and send us a message to pick up our order at the grocery store.
7. Artificial intelligence at the service of code
Coding is becoming more and more automated, especially when a library becomes more and more expansive. We already see some providers using AI to help their users create websites. No doubt this trend will spread to professional websites as well.
So, it’s true, we still must learn some basic languages to design and build a website or an application but the speed at which we create and implement these customizations will not be acceptable in the next few years.
8. More of a story than an experience
Recently, there is a new trend on the web that I find very interesting from a user point of view. You scroll through pages on your smartphone, revealing new layers of a story as you scroll. Immersive storytelling is probably what the Web of the future will look like. In this scheme, grid-like layouts will disappear to make way for a real story. Instead of elements made of navigation, body text and popups, you will be immersed in a story and taken from point A to point B throughout the site visit.
9. Increase in cybercrime
In 2018, there were more than 2,216 data leaks and over 53,000 cybercrime incidents worldwide. Cybercriminals are becoming more resourceful in finding and stealing our data, either directly from our computers or from the servers of the companies where we are registered. Remember, the Nigerian heir’s email is not new…
Given the growing value of our m very pessimistic and it is to be feared that within 5 years, these data will be more and more coveted and will be used as a bargaining chip. Unfortunately, there is still plenty of time for crime.
10. A Web the under control
Snowden has brought to light very serious violations of the rights of millions of American citizens (among others). And despite these revelations and overwhelming evidence, the perpetrators and liars are still out there, with impunity. And we continue to be monitored and manipulated.
Facial recognition, the surveillance of our emails, messages and conversations, the collection of our data will grow in the coming years because nothing will stop governments and some companies in this field. Under the guise of security and anti-terrorism, our freedoms will have escaped us, and we will have lost the last space of freedom we had.
In conclusion
All this is just suppositions and hypotheses. Of course, I am basing myself on the current state of technology and on what seems to be emerging to imagine what to expect in the coming years. New technologies are appearing all the time, with perspectives that no one could imagine just a few months ago. Exciting or frightening, everyone has their own opinion on this. One thing is for sure, the number of devices that can connect, the number of people with access to the Internet, the speed of data transfer and the frequency of Internet use will continue to increase.
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