Where will communication technology take us in the
1. Our world in 2013
By Kristen Anderson
Comm 303-50
2. More Global Internet Usage
• In 2012, the number of internet users increased by 8.8% to 2.4 billion.
• By 2023, more people and countries will have internet access than ever
before.
• This will have a huge impact on getting help and resources to the poorest
nations; If one person from a community in need can get their story out
via the internet, they can begin receiving more help.
• This will affect the internet and business by the Critical Mass Theory.
3. Critical Mass Theory
• Innovators and early users who take a risk as being the first to use a
technology are known as the critical mass.
• The more people who use a technology, the more useful it becomes to
everyone.
• The more global internet access becomes, the more business and
economies will change.
4. Mobile Phones Will Take Over
• In the year 2023, the desk top computer will be virutally obsolete, with
the majority of people choosing to access the internet via their cell
phones only.
• In May 2009, mobile internet traffic only accounted for 0.9% of total
internet traffic. Today it accounts for 15%, and the trend suggests that
number will be close to 30% by the end of next year.
• You can understand this by examining the theory of Diffusion of
Innovations.
5. Diffusion of Innovations
This theory explains how consumers go through the process of deciding they
need a new technology, such as mobile cell internet access.
6. Using GPS to Track People
• Global positioning technology will be used in the future to track people,
such as criminals and children.
• There are already watches available for retail the children cannot remove
that are equipped with GPS technology, so that in the event of a
kidnapping or runway situation, parents can locate the children.
• In the future this could possibly be done with criminals so that escape
would be virtually impossible, or as a sort of “house arrest” tool.
• This could be accomplished by surgically inserting trackers.
7. Users and Gratifications
• Theory gives insight as to what people do with
technology.
• Users use technology as a result of different needs.
• For example, we have thus far used GPS for a large
variety of different needs, and users will eventually see
how GPS tracking could be useful to protect their
children, or society form criminals.
