It was about 3 in the morning when I had to get up and go to the restroom. It’s an age thing… Anyway, as I lay back down, a thought popped into my head.
How much longer before the Internet becomes our only avenue of communication?
Before I delve into future speculation, you might ask why would I think of such a question? My wife and I were discussing our latest cable bill last night. We had recently switched everything (cable, phone, Internet) to one company to get their “bundled” savings. For on year, at least. Next year, I will switch back to their competitor for another year of “bundled” new customer savings. Why should I be a “loyal” customer when they try to screw me over once I am that “loyal” customer. How much am I saving? About $60 a month. For one year. Along with my cell phone bill (4 cell phones, no “smart phones”), I am spending over $3000 a YEAR. Just to communicate with the outside world and watch television.
hmmm. When I was a kid, my parents had a… phone bill. Average of perhaps $20 a month. For the convenience of take-it-with-you phone service, huge amounts of never-watched-channels, and digital TV, I get to pay 13 times more than my parents did.
Simply amazing.
Finally, back to my original question. How do we interact with the outside world? Not counting face-to-face communication.
- Postal service. Does anyone send snail-mail anymore? Long live Email, Instant Messaging, Personal Messaging, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. Long live the Internet!
- Faxing. Some of the younger audience may not even know what a fax (facsimile) is. Replaced by word processor/Email and Photocopy/Email. Again, long live the Internet!
- Land lines. We have one. Only because my wife does daycare. No daycare would mean no land-line. DSL from your phone company may be keeping land lines around… for awhile yet. The replacement? Your cell phone. Perhaps you call it your “smart” phone. May not be quite the Internet yet, but the next ISP-of-choice may become your cell phone company. It is happening right now. The Internet is an integral part of your “smart” phone. Smart phones means the end of personal computers. Down the road a bit, but it is coming. Long live the Internet! Or maybe the “cell” phone.
- Television. In the US, the big 3 are becoming less and less important. They have already diversified into the cable offerings. But for how long will OTA and/or cable “tele” last? Internet TV is still in its infancy, quality-wise. Give it a few more years and how relevant will cable be? Long live the Internet!
Which leads us to… the Internet. Tomorrow’s Internet will all be wifi based. And as I alluded to above, all “smart” phone based. The end of the “traditional” PC is just around the corner, IMHO. Netbook, meet “smart” phone.
Am I wrong? You tell me.
