The web in 20 years time? - [Closes 18/09/07]

[dannyisnotamazing]

i highly doubt it. the internet is so easy and has so many uses, i cant imagine any communication device beating it. it's not really a product, its more of an idea. no one owns it. thats why tv took off and will be around in one form or another forever. internet might change form, but i doubt it'll be beaten.

Take advice from your previous post.

i think you guys are kinda naive for saying not much more will happen :/ it's always going to be something you don't expect. 20 years is a long time, think of all that's happened in just the past 5 years.

[Stephen]

He said that things will change but the internet won't get beaten in both posts?

[Oni]

I think websites themselves may be social networks in the future. Like everyone who is viewing the site will have avatars [Think habbo kind of with one room] and can communicate whilst browsing, actually im going to experement with this now, see what happens.

[lew!]

I dont think we can tell, but in 100 years.. looks what developed.. weve went from just about being able to fly, to jets that break the sound barrier.

[Wootzeh]

The internet is facing an issue at the moment, called net neutrality (or the lack thereof), which is likely to play some part in its future. In the future, the internet as we know it will be controlled, by three means:

1. The Providers - back to neutrality again, eventually, when companies that supply broadband cross the 'last mile', they will ascertain their power to control your internet access. Say BT Broadband finds a lot of its customers moving to AOL - they'll just block their website from access. This is a part of the control, it may not be noticeable particularly, but it will be there, very soon.

2. The Advertisers - Companies make billions of dollars from the Internet every week, and the majority of that is through careful advertising on popular sites. However, at present, people get the option (when they host their website) not to put any ads on. Not so in 20 years' time. All advertising will be done client-side, as once again providers cave, and allow advertisers to fill up any free space on web-pages as you visit them (not to mention with ads very specific to your browsing habits). This is one big cycle, advertisers pay ISPs, the users of whom then pay the advertisers through sales.

3. Censorship - They did it in China, they'll do it here. There'll come a point, very soon, where people run out of other people to blame that their children do stupid things, and will turn to point the finger at the internet (as many already have). This, eventually, will lead to the government (in all countries) deciding that enough is enough, and complying the internet to follow existing laws, whilst drafting new ones.

This will probably vary by country, but imagine an internet that is filtered (much like at school, or college), however no proxies will get round it. We'll see a team of people who trawl through the internet, monitoring and arresting those that talk about illegal offences, such as making bombs.

This is bar far the most bleak future for the internet, and one I fear never comes true. I'm comforted by the fact that we have one place in this world where freedom of speech is almost always free - so enjoy it while it lasts, because YouTube will be gone (copyrighted material), as will file-sharing and torrent sites, anything that's even vaguely offensive will be no more.

Companies can't restrict access out of spite.
Companies don't make millinos out of advertising every year, let alone weeks.
And then you go and compare all governments to a communist run country like China.
So much crap I just read.

[Oni]

Youtube gone....That made me laugh. Infact many companies are putting their programs on youtube such as the BBC. Youtube is owned by google, rest assured it wont be leaving anytime soon.

[CrazyColaist]

internet will crash

[Aflux]

internet will crash

You cannot crash 'the internet'.

[T0M]

I dont think the internet will become censored like China, China is a disgraceful country with some of its laws most curropt nation imo needs better human rights laws!

[GhostFace-]

I Think It Will Have Like More Advanced Features on the pages and stuff like that ~_^ ?