P redicting what life will be like 25 years from now is a daunting task. Comprehending the speed at which we ve seen change occur just within the past five years is in itself daunting. But I believe we can assess the broad outlines of the future 25 years from now, based on the continuing development of one of the most revolutionizing inventions to come along at any time the Internet. I want to focus on the advancement and reach of the medium itself and what the subsequent results will be. Progress in the Internet s technological capabilities over the next 25 years will be exponential, and its reach into society and previously resistant cultures will result in dramatic benefits to humankind.
People today have immediate access to the thoughts and knowledge of others on a grand scale.
The product of the most brilliant minds can be made available to society at large in seconds. This is allowing us to leverage human knowledge on a scale dwarfing even the most important invention of the last millennium the invention of printing. The productivity gains being generated by the Internet are evident in many areas, the most notable being its revolution of the marketplace. The marketplace has always been with us in many varying forms, but now the Internet is making it far more productive. I can envision in the very near future using the Net to quickly and easily complete a shopping list that used to take a whole day or weekend.