What Will the Internet Be in 2025?What Will the Internet Be in 2025?

A Pew Research survey hints at the future upsides and downsides of the Internet’s evolution.

Looking back can be used to help predict the future, but predicting the future of the Internet and its impact is a challenging endeavor. The history of the Internet has been populated by rapid growth of applications whose success and failure were difficult to foresee. By surveying those who are involved with the Internet, however, as well as connectivity and applications, some measure of the future can be obtained.

Experts believe that easy access to the Internet is a growth stimulator. Connecting people and the Internet of Things (IoT) will make the Internet a true utility that will become an even greater resource in everyday life. However there will be both positive and negative outcomes from the Internet's growth.

The Pew Research survey of Internet predictions, " The Web at 25 in the U.S., Digital Life in 2015" is the organization's latest report, marking the 25th anniversary of the creation of the World Wide Web by Sir Tim Berners-Lee. The survey report was produced by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project and Elon University's Imagining the Internet Center. The predictions from 1,867 respondents were collected between November 25, 2014 and January 13, 2015.

The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes, and trends affecting the U.S. and the rest of the world. They do this by conducting opinion polls, demographic research, and media content analysis.

Predictions are just that, a look into the future. Some are obvious while others are not so visible. The Pew report digests the positive predictions into eight statements. I have selected four of the predictions that I find most interesting:

In addition to the beneficial predictions, the Pew report highlighted seven less hopeful predictions. I have selected three negative predictions to discuss:

These predictions will be influenced by factors that may not even be visible today. A restrictive government may become financially weaker. The result could be more restrictions or the government being unable to enforce the restrictions, thereby losing control.

The advice of the report is to make good choices now and not wait to see the outcome of the Internet. I like the quote from the Pew report that sums up the best path forward, "The best way to predict the future is to invent."