Anyone alive today who remembers what the world was like before the internet sure knows how much the invention has changed everything. However, the internet isn’t done changing the world just yet and there are a lot of drastic changes that are yet to come. We try and predict how the internet can change in the world in the next three decades.
1. It might become impossible to get lost
If you own a smartphone, you already know that the internet keeps you connected to the whole world all the time no matter where you go. Even if you take away the “Big Brother” concerns, you can see that the internet is all set to make it impossible to get lost any more. In the next three decades, GPS technologies would evolve even further and there would be internet connected personal gizmos that would allow us to be kept track of no matter where we go in the whole wide world.
2. Currency notes and coins might become obsolete in future
Net banking and online shopping has already allowed us to shop for thing without going to the store. In the next 30 years, monetary transactions over the internet might become so safe that people might just give up using notes and coins to make payments.
3. Virtual reality might replace real life experiences
Online shopping, distance education, teleconferencing, telecommuting and remote assistance etc. already have allowed the internet to help people avoid being physically present in another location. In the next 30 years, this technology might be fine tuned enough to facilitate virtual tours. These tours would help us visit the grocery store and shop without actually setting foot out of the house, working in another country without actually being there and even touring famous landmarks in virtual reality without actually traveling.
4. Traditional education systems would vanish
If you finished school before the internet came along, you already know how easy it is to study now that Google and Wikipedia have all the answers. In the future, all the knowledge in the world might be available on the internet and this would render traditional classroom teaching obsolete.
5. Elections might go “real-time”
So far, democracy seems like it is here to stay. However, 30 years hence, we might see elections and governance go “real-time” with the general public having a greater input in the making and functioning of governments.
