Heart-Warming Semester

There is no doubt that the internet is revolutionizing communication and commerce in a greater and different way than previous technological innovations (i.e. television, radio). The interactive nature of the internet and the levels of efficiency the internet has facilitated are what make it unique.
The internet’s potential in democratizing anything from commerce to politics means that in America, we will hold it near and dear. Throughout this semester, we have learned that there are pros and cons to increasing our reliance on the internet—a lack of transparency and security remain powerful deterrents to moving our lives online, yet the same lack of transparency is also a powerful tool in democratizing opinion and fostering discussion.
This heart-warming encapsulation of the semester is meant to apply what I have learned about the pros and cons of the internet towards a prediction of the future of the digital realm. I predict that problems with security and transparency will prevent us from moving politics online. I predict that the efficiency and low fixed costs of ventures online will attract businesses to the internet so that Mom & Pop stores will become obsolete. I predict that blogs will flourish and that a healthy balance of professional journalists and semi-professional journalists will be able to exist in harmony. I predict that the internet will negatively democratize art, diluting our perception of “talent.” I predict that the government will not regulate the internet, because it would ruin its revolutionary potential. Internet law will be minimal because it is near impossible to universalize what is “correct.” I predict that the internet is going to shift personal social interactions to social interactions online. I predict that social networks will both help keep people in contact and also cause them to move further apart.
The conclusion is clear: the internet will democratize everything—the question that hangs is this: When is it a good thing, and when should we steer clear of moving online?