ICT trends and evolution
Technologies undoubtedly have the capacity to shape a different future. In fact, technological innovations have always set the pace of change in society. It is worth highlighting what will be (in the opinion of some experts) some fundamental characteristics of ICT technologies
in the coming years since they are the basis on which the
new services of the Information Society will be able to evolve. It must be
considered that there are many new capabilities expected from ICT in the next
decade, and as in any innovative sector, making a forecast always presents a
degree of uncertainty.
However, there is a general consensus among experts on the
following trends:
1. Increased
processing capacity of devices: ability to perform complex tasks in real time
2. High
capacity broadband
3. Ubiquitous
and transparent connectivity in which diverse technologies converge
4. Intuitive,
personalized (based on user knowledge and past use), and context-based device
and service interfaces that make technology "transparent" and
complement people's capabilities
5. Increasing
facilities to digitize our lives and manage their storage: photos, videos,
conversations, relationships ...
6. Augmented
reality: digital information that mixes with reality
7. Nanotechnology,
biotech and biomachines
8. Increase
in artificial intelligence mechanisms that improve access to information and
knowledge, the provision of services to the user "butler style"
9. Multiplicity
of devices that make use of services that reside on the network in a
transparent way
10. Device
miniaturization and battery improvements: ultra-portable and more autonomous
devices
All these technologies will lead to a change in the habits
of citizens who will stop seeing their relationship with ICT as something
specific limited to specific situations, to be seen as something habitual and
transparent, in which the user will access a service without worrying about
what type of connection is available, and not even at what time you connect or
disconnect to the Internet.
All this will lead to a new citizen-technology relationship
that will be marked by the following points:
1. Information
will be accessed from anywhere, at any time and with a variety of devices:
1. At a
technological level, mobile devices will be the main Internet connection tool
for most people in 2020. Mobile phones, with relative computing power, will be
the main tool, and in certain cases it will be the only connection tool for a
part of the world population since it allows the user to be connected at a
relatively low price.
2. Thanks to
the convergence of networks, the device will connect to the "most
efficient" network at all times, and all this will be done in a
transparent way for the user. Of course the access will be broadband.
3. This
ubiquitous broadband will be an enabler of structural change for both business
and innovation. Thanks to this, new organizational forms will emerge.
2. It will
be a hyper-connected society:
1. While
some believe that hyperconnection will offer more freedom, flexibility, better
mental health and a positive improvement in life, others express their fears
about mobility and ubiquity, as the boundary between personal life and
professional life will be blurred.
2. The
evolution of the Internet will also have an impact on the way of relating to
each other: it will allow a better understanding of the other and will increase
the transparency of people and organizations. In 2020, people will be more
likely to share personal information, opinions and emotions over the Internet
and the public notion of privacy will have changed, while at the same time
being protected and threatened by emerging innovations.
3. Society's
relationship with information and communication technology will be carried out
in a more "natural" way, thus integrating into its day-to-day
activities:
1. Touch and
voice recognition-based Internet interfaces will prevail and be accepted in
2020. By then, the most commonly used communication devices will incorporate
voice recognition.
2. In
addition, new technologies based on tactile feedback will have been fully
developed and, for example, a small Internet access terminal will allow a
virtual full keyboard to be deployed and used on any surface for those moments
when you do not want to "talk" to the terminal. It will also be
common to see people typing in the air on a projected keyboard.
3. Virtual
worlds and augmented reality will be popular formats thanks to the rapid
evolution of natural and intuitive technological interfaces.
