Future of the Internet

What will we be expecting in the future cyberworld? What will the future of the Internet be like?

According to Wikipedia, Future Internet is a summarizing term for worldwide research activities dedicated to the further development of the original Internet. The current Internet has increased public awareness of several critical shortcomings in terms of performance, reliability, etc.

The approaches towards a Future Internet range from small, incremental evolutionary steps to complete redesigns and architecture principles, where the applied technologies shall not be limited by existing standards and paradigms such as client server networking.

However, it is too early to identify any technical consensus or even standardization. The term 'Future Internet' should be used with caution and do not link it too quickly with any specific technology. Research areas that could be seen as part of Future Internet are Network Management, Network virtualization and some elements of cloud computing.

This video was produced by Janna Quitney Anderson, director of the Imagining the Internet Center at Elon University, for the 2011 Danish Top Executive Summit.

A great summary of current expectations for Internet and communications future, based on 2011 estimates and a preview of our SXSWi Core Conversation from http://www.imaginingtheinternet.org, where there are hundreds more videos than we have on YouTube. Human connections we are building and the information we are databasing on the internet are creating a shared global intellect that is growing and evolving every day. The future of the internet is personal, portable, pervasive and precarious. We are entering the earliest phase of a new era. This video outlines some of the new challenges and opportunities as this new paradigm continues to evolve and changes everything.

Internet in Singapore

Singapore is really quick in getting almost all Singaporeans to be connected via the Internet. As of June 2010, there are more than 6, 860, 100 Internet subscribers in Singapore. Singapore is a tiny island and there are only four major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) which are Singtel, M1, Starhub and Pacnet. In addition, Singapore Government has been always promoting the usage of broadband Internet access and this is part of its Intelligent Nation 2015 (i2015) masterplan.

The current developments in the 21st century are really quick and updated.

• Jan 2001: Broadband Media Association was formed to promote the broadband industry.
• April 2001: 6 broadband Internet providers; total number of broadband users exceeding 300, 000.
• Oct 2001: Pacific Internet introduced wireless broadband services.

• 2006: Information Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) introduced "Wireless@SG". Part of Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure initiative. Most public areas with speeds of up to 512 kbit/s. M1 also introduced its broadband services.

• Sept 2010: Singapore ISPs came up with Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (NGNBN) service plans. Supports high speeds of up to 1 Gbps as it uses and optical fiber network.

(Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_Singapore)

What will it be like in the future with Singapore's development of the Internet?

With Singapore's upcoming Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN), everything shown in the video is possible in Singapore's hotels. The Next Gen NBN will give rise to applications that will allow hotels to improve their guest experience, and bring cost savings to their business through the use of integrated broadband based productivity tools.

This is something that the younger generation is looking forward to. What about the older generation? Will they be able to embrace such a new technology?

Internet and Journalism

Internet has boost the scope of journalism. It is a new social media and more Internet users are able to write about almost anything. This illustrates that many are encouraged to provide updated news and information about themselves. According to the policy updates (2011), it was reported that "[a]s more and more news and information move online, we must address the fact that nearly 40% of America is still disconnected from high-speed Internet access". This illustrates that there are people who are not connected in this global village. It was also mentioned that "[b]ridging the digital divide is increasingly an issue that will shape the future of journalism... our policymakers must ensure that communities can connect to our modern information infrastructure". This implies that Americans see the need to connect everyone on the Internet in the whole of America.

(http://www.savethenews.org/journalism/policy-updates)

Has the Internet killed or boost the growth of Journalism?

The video below shows how fast information spreads online. It shows the effects and impact it has on the audience.

The next video shows whether the Internet has killed print journalism. It seems that people prefer reading both online and print journalism.

In my opinion, Web 2.0 has enhanced journalism and not kill print journalism. Will online journalism kill print journalism? This is a question that does not have an answer.