Today the Internet allows us to find answers to any of our questions 24/7. We have access to more information than we know what to do with. In fact, there is more information available to us than we can even comprehend. With close to 1 billion websites and over 2.9 billion users, the Internet has become an incredible resource.
The Internet has changed tremendously since the first website in 1991. As the Internet continued to grow and technology developed, so did the way we communicate, along with content and tools available to us. We now have social media networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram. We are using cell phones and tablets to access the Internet where we can use different apps to play games or listen to music on Spotify or Pandora. We can shop online, communicate with people anywhere around the world, stream TV or movies, and even receive education virtually. It seems that there isn’t anything we can’t do with the help of the Internet. What would we do without the Internet?
Back when I was growing up, if I had to write a paper or work on a project the resources I had to utilize were either books or encyclopedias from the public library. Today, our preferred resource tool is Google. We have even turned Google into a verb. Don’t know the answer to something? Chances are you will hear someone say, “Just Google it.” In many cases you find the answer within a matter of seconds. What a luxury to have information like that at the tip of our fingers!
Right now it may seem difficult to imagine what the Internet will look like in another 20 years. However, we are already seeing some changes with the Internet of Things (IoT). Take SmartThings, for instance, with the operating system you can monitor everything in your home with an app on your cell phone. You can control lights, thermostat, locks, and other appliances in your home. With the app you can also monitor your home and use it as a security system. SmartThings is among many other companies with the vision to make life easier by connecting Internet apps with physical objects.
Some say that because of IoT devices, the way we use Internet will transform. The Internet and IoT devices will simply become part of us. To the point where we don’t even realize we are using the Internet anymore. Everything will be connected. My question is: Will this type of interaction and way of living eventually become the norm? Or is there something else coming that has yet to be discovered? Secondly, will Googling become a thing of the past? Well friend, I guess we will have to wait and find out.
