If I had the answer, I would be sitting on a beach on some warm tropical island watching my kids play in the surf. But since I don't, and therefore, sit in my office in New York, I will begin by
saying I'm iffy about the future. There are indicators that worry me, and here they are.
1. Be careful what you wish for. There is a technology developed by Roger Dingledine at
Moira Research Labs under a contract with the U.S. Naval Research Lab. It is called Tor (or the Onion Router), and what Tor does is give the user the ability to send completely anonymous email. The
application disguises the Internet traffic's origins and plots a route through more than 700 volunteer-run routers around the world. Did I mention that this application allows for completely
anonymous email? While this is specified for use by the government, I can envision a world where this is developed and used by the lowest of the low--email spammers and email phishers. I fear for
the consumer in that world.
2. Watching for signs of evolution. As with all things, there is good and not so good. Voiceover IP has enabled cheap to no-cost IP-based
communications, while advances in handset technology, software and wireless networks has allowed text messaging to explode. Along comes the "not so good part" and you have phone smishing (SMS
phishing) and Vishing (voice phishing). Though this may seem a little out there, I contend that if this practice gains momentum, it will taint the medium to the point where no one will want to "test"
or even "deploy" new ad campaigns because no consumer will either trust or respond to the messages.
3. When user generated is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Splogs. When spam meets
a blog, you get a Splog. Much like email spam, splogs try to get readers to click on ads, since they make their money based in the number of click-throughs they generate. Think about it. If this
continues to permeate the Internet, you can kiss the "value" of a MySpace page goodbye.
For every technology or use of technology that is nefarious, there is another that is reputable.
So let's not look at this as the glass-is-half-empty. But I wanted to arm you with knowledge in order to apprize the digital world realistically, not idyllically. The query I proposed at the beginning
still remains: Where do we go from here? Good question, folks. You tell me.