THE
NEXT FIVE YEARS FOR BUSINESS
(11) WEB
You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
The internet is going to play a big
role in education, healthcare and the delivery of justice
Watching the action in ecommerce, on social networks and
observing the steady shift of news consumption from newspapers and magazines to
news sites and blogs, the casual observer might be tempted to conclude that
during the next five years all that we are going to see is merely more of the
same, perhaps on a grander scale and with a broader swathe of the population
participating. But more dramatic changes are in the offing.
To start with, the primary mode of internet access will almost completely shift to some form of a mobile device and the wireless data networks behind them will operate at speeds many times faster than today.
These technical improvements will move the use of the internet far beyond its current avatar as a media channel for disseminating news and information, playing videos and keeping in touch with friends through social networks. This is in keeping with earlier technological waves and the way they worked their way through society. The first machines invented found their use in spinning cotton yarn, the steam engine found its first use in hauling coal, chemical synthesis found its first use in textile dyes, electricity found its first use in the electric motors in factories, the internal combustion engine found its first use in farm tractors. From these starting points each of these technological innovations found applications in broader sectors of human society. Machines of every description made work easier, the steam engine made long-distance shipping possible, chemical synthesis brought synthetic fertilizers and pharmaceuticals, electricity lit homes and extended the day and the internal combustion engine made personal transportation affordable by all.
In a similar fashion we are likely, in the next five years, to see the internet, which at its core is an ultra-low-cost information carrying system, move into sectors such as education, healthcare and the delivery of justice. The promise of this is that just as the first Industrial Revolution made cotton clothing affordable by all, the Information Revolution will make healthcare far more affordable than it is today, the delivery of justice through our court system far faster (no waiting in courts endlessly for your case to come up), and high quality education available to all. It will also mean the appearance of a slew of new business giants, the ones who had the vision and entrepreneurial energy to ride this immense new technological wave.
By AJIT BALAKRISHNAN who started Rediff.com in 1995. It was the first web server on Indian subcontinent CDET130104
To start with, the primary mode of internet access will almost completely shift to some form of a mobile device and the wireless data networks behind them will operate at speeds many times faster than today.
These technical improvements will move the use of the internet far beyond its current avatar as a media channel for disseminating news and information, playing videos and keeping in touch with friends through social networks. This is in keeping with earlier technological waves and the way they worked their way through society. The first machines invented found their use in spinning cotton yarn, the steam engine found its first use in hauling coal, chemical synthesis found its first use in textile dyes, electricity found its first use in the electric motors in factories, the internal combustion engine found its first use in farm tractors. From these starting points each of these technological innovations found applications in broader sectors of human society. Machines of every description made work easier, the steam engine made long-distance shipping possible, chemical synthesis brought synthetic fertilizers and pharmaceuticals, electricity lit homes and extended the day and the internal combustion engine made personal transportation affordable by all.
In a similar fashion we are likely, in the next five years, to see the internet, which at its core is an ultra-low-cost information carrying system, move into sectors such as education, healthcare and the delivery of justice. The promise of this is that just as the first Industrial Revolution made cotton clothing affordable by all, the Information Revolution will make healthcare far more affordable than it is today, the delivery of justice through our court system far faster (no waiting in courts endlessly for your case to come up), and high quality education available to all. It will also mean the appearance of a slew of new business giants, the ones who had the vision and entrepreneurial energy to ride this immense new technological wave.
By AJIT BALAKRISHNAN who started Rediff.com in 1995. It was the first web server on Indian subcontinent CDET130104
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