OK, so, if you could, what one thing would you want to know that would affect how you think the internet might develop over the next 10 years. Here’s my question …
Does the mass of humanity want to create and participate in the web as an act of creation and dialog, or, is the average joe content to merely consume and observe?
Perhaps not an obvious question, but I think that it will drive a lot of what we will see happen. If the answer is the former, it will drive network, application, and information architectures that are decentralized, it will drive symmetric last mile broadband, it will drive the open internet, the web 2.0, and an incredible richness of communication. If, however, as a species we’re content to watch our NFL Sunday Ticket while downing a 6-pack , then, well, then the incumbents, the big content owners, the controllers of your communications channels will be proven right and they will control the destiny of our networks.
I want to believe in a basic human need to create, to engage, to dialog — not to merely zone out and watch. But, I recognize that I am so far gone into the micro-society of bloggers, personal web site creators, and individual actors that I’ve lost all objectivity on this point.
Short answer: both. The first is probably dominate and will become more so. For example the NFL Watcher (lets call him Joe) will not initally care and will not worry about it. Consumption (beer and sport) will be what he cares about. But then he will discover that he can comment, commiserate and discuss the NFL game (why NFL I don’t understand…Union is a much better game) as the game goes on with the decentralised architecture. Suddenly Joe is interested and publishing even if he doesn’t realise it.
STEVE SAYS: good comment!!