At one time - eons ago, the anthem was *I want my MTV*. Things have changed. As I've been saying lately, I'm tired of waiting for the digital future to arrive. I wouldn't be so tired if it weren't for the fact that all the signals are out there blinking and honking. We've got plenty of computer power. We got broadband. We're close to ubiquitous wi-fi. It's so do-able, you can taste it. Downloadable music is legit. We've got web services. We've got social software. Here's what some futurists are predicting:
In the future information society, customers will require tailored ubiquitous services, guaranteed qualities, low costs, and a timely reaction to their changing requirements. Keywords in this context are information highways and universal personal communications. These approaches address the issue of universal connectivity and global access to information, regardless of the user's current location, or technical and network capabilities. Thus the vision for the future information society is "information at any time, at any place, in any form, and according to personal preferences.[via Dan Gillmor]
The futurists are on board. My guess is that without the dotcom bust, this vision could have been funded and realized by now. Instead, we've got all these lean and mean little innovative efforts sprinkled around and long-term projects slogging along towards their digital visions. We are in one of those periods of discontinuity where anyone could come forward with the breakthrough that will break this new world out of the starting gates.
Power to the People!