Asked to forecast the impact of the Internet on society in the coming decade, a group of technology leaders and scholars have offered both dire predictions and high hopes as network  advances are rolled out and Web usage expands.
The future of the Internet project, conducted by Elon University and the Pew Internet & American Life Project, included scientists and engineers who created the first Internet architecture a decade ago, along with representatives from corporations, the media, government and higher education.
Catatasrophic Events Inevitable
Among the conclusions: Two-thirds of the experts expect at least one devastating attack on network-information infrastructure or the country's power grid in the next 10 years. And some believe serious attacks will become a regular part of life.
Fifty-nine percent of these authorities predict more government and business surveillance as computing devices are embedded in appliances, cars, phones, and even clothing.
On a more positive note, the survey reveals that we can expect more virtual classes in formal education -- with students grouped by interests and skills rather than by age -- and it is likely that the Internet will foment changes in family dynamics and a blurring of the boundaries between work and leisure, as telecommuting and home-schooling expand.
Pace of Life Quickens
"It's particularly noteworthy that this large group of experts had the most agreement on some type of catastrophic attack on the network infrastructure, or the exploitation of vulnerabilities in industries such as banking or utilities," said Lee Rainie, director
of the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
The Internet has become so ubiquitous, he said, that a huge number of individual users and businesses now are vulnerable to a variety of assaults, including intrusion and denial-of-service attacks.
At the same time, the survey results indicate that with more people online and more devices connected to the Web, the pace of life will quicken, Rainie said.
Indeed, 54 percent of survey participants look for "a new age of creativity" in which people use the Internet to collaborate with others and share music, art and literature. Within the coming decade, all video, audio, print and voice communications will stream to coordinating computers in homes and offices via the Internet. (continued...)
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