It is likely that this trend will continue along the same lines as other technologies; just as telephones, the Internet, and cell phones each individually became more or less essential parts of living in Western society, the web-enabled cell phone will almost certainly be just as essential to conducting business and daily life in the next decade.
For the majority of citizens in the Western -- and as increasingly the case, Eastern -- world, there are some obvious up- and down-sides to these trends. The ability to access and be accessed by almost anyone, no matter where they or you are, is ridiculously convenient and more than a little annoying. But there are other effects to this trend that will have the Internet and computers playing a much more prevalent role in Western society as a whole. The "digital divide" that is being created between those that have computers and internet access and those who do not will play a larger and larger role in determining how far people are able to advance, causing a wider rift between socioeconomic classes. In 2007, over sixty percent of people in the United States had an Internet connection in their homes; the majority of people had had connections for at least four years (U.S. Census Bureau 2009). Those who did not -- and still do not -- have Internet connections in their homes are at a distinct disadvantage in many areas. The Internet can aid with study, finding...
The coming decade will likely see a greater stratification of society based on Internet and computer accessibility, as well as public debate and programs regarding the issue.
As computer technologies in general, and specifically the Internet, become more and more prevalent in our daily lives, the effects that they will have will be far too extensive and complex to calculate. In both subtle and profound ways, our lives have already been drastically changed by computers and the Internet. This will not only continue to impact our daily lives, but will also have a larger social effect. Society will eventually catch up to the pace of technology again, but it might be a bumpy ride.
References
BBC News. (2007). "Mobile internet use 'increasing.'" Accessed 28 July 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6309593.stm
Causey, Carrie. (2005). "The 'e-generation' and the problem of dependency." LSU Legacy Magazine, 11(4), pp. 14-6.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2009). "Computer and internet use in the United States." 2003. 2007. Accessed 28 July 2009. http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/computer.html
