Creativity and chaos will transform the future Internet

Sydney - 1 September 2005 - Senator the Hon Helen Coonan today launched The Smart Internet 2010 Report at the ICT Outlook Forum, held at Sydney’s Powerhouse museum. The Report provides insight into a unique collection of expert opinions on Internet futures and why it has become integral to the daily life of Australians.

Speaking at the Forum, Senator Coonan commented, "The Outlook Conference brings together ICT industry and research professionals and I am delighted to take this opportunity to launch the Smart Internet 2010 Report. The Report provides a tremendous insight into the role that the Internet will play in all our futures.

“It paints a picture of a more immersive and mobile Internet offering enhanced services to end users; and of a consumer who will increasingly desire greater connectivity to access these services when and where they desire,” Senator Coonan said.

The Smart Internet 2010 Report provides a vehicle for strategic thinking about the future of the Internet. The Report includes the Schools of Thought: a conceptual framework that captures the rich insights from global ‘thought leaders’. Topics covered include providing basic services for all, the plethora of devices and services feeding off the Internet, and the social impacts on social networks, culture, and communication. The Smart Internet CRC’s ultimate goal is that these insights will transform the Internet into a truly empowering communications medium that enables a better life for all Australians.

Compiled by researchers in the User Environments Program based at Swinburne University of Technology, within the Smart Internet Technology CRC, the Report analyses the way the Internet might evolve from the perspective of its end-users. The primary research questions addressed were: What might the Internet be like in 2010? What positions do different people and institutional interests have about the future of the Internet? What are the possible outcomes for end-users towards 2010?

The Report investigates how the Internet has become an integral part of modern life, driving evolution of existing social structures. Being an adaptive technology, the Internet is in a continual state of development, increasingly empowering people to live their lives in a more convenient and informed manner.

While some experts have argued that the Internet’s chaotic nature will ultimately lead to its collapse, many others see it as evolving into a more user friendly and intuitive technology. Ultimately, it will become an indispensable lifestyle communications tool with more personal than professional content.

Neville Roach, Chairman, Smart Internet said, "One of the unique differentiating factors of Smart Internet is its strength of focus on the user environment. This is an element of research that sits across all of our technology projects. To be commercially successfully one needs to understand the drivers for change. Any product or service must have an identified market. We apply this same principle to the research projects we undertake, and having a highly skilled group of social scientists as part of the team is fundamental to our success."

In 1976, Tony Newstead published Telecom 2000, a report that explored the possible social, economic and technical futures for Telecommunications in 2000. Many of the report’s predictions came to be realised. Commenting on the 2010 Report, Newstead stated, "While the 2010 Report is not a predictive report backed by statistical trends analysis, it provides in narrative form, expert opinion exploring future possibilities for Australia in Open Source and social network technologies, e-health, digital games, voice applications and mobiles.

“Telecom 2000 explored our future public telecommunications…Smart Internet 2010, however, focuses on the Internet, whose ownership is fragmented among myriad local service providers, public carriers…and end users themselves. Whether this structural complexity can survive as the Internet continues to expand in size, scope and services, deserves close scrutiny.”

Newstead concludes, “2010 is a fascinating read that provokes deep thoughts and should be considered an important contributor to strategic thinkers across Australia."

Professor Trevor Barr, Swinburne University of Technology lead a team of researchers and authors that interviewed a wide range of opinion leaders including technologists, academics, select commentators, journalists, entrepreneurs, policy makers, investors and consumer advocates. Commenting on some of the summary findings in the Report, Prof Barr said, "The Smart Internet 2010 Report gives us a valuable vision of the potential of the Internet and how it is set to change the way we live our lives. Our research showed that increasing mobility and user focused technologies will see the Internet playing an ever more important role in our every day life for information, entertainment and communications.”

- Ends -