The social benefits of internet use will far outweigh the negatives over the next decade, according to experts who responded to a survey about the future of the internet. They say this is because email, social networks, and other online tools offer ‘low-friction’ opportunities to create, enhance, and rediscover social ties that make a difference in people’s lives. The internet lowers traditional communications constraints of cost, geography, and time; and it supports the type of open information sharing that brings people together.
85% of respondents (both experts and overall) agreed that in 2020 and taking into account personal friendships, marriage, and other personal relationships, that the Internet has been a positive force on their "social world." 14% said it will have a negative force on their "social world."
Some survey respondents noted that with the internet’s many social positives come problems. They said that both scenarios presented in the survey are likely to be accurate, and noted that tools such as email and social networks can and are being used in harmful ways. Among the negatives noted by both groups of respondents: time spent online robs time from important face-to-face relationships; the internet fosters mostly shallow relationships; the act of leveraging the internet to engage in social connection exposes private information; the internet allows people to silo themselves, limiting their exposure to new ideas; and the internet is being used to engender intolerance.
A number of people said that as this all plays out people are just beginning to address the ways in which nearly “frictionless,” easy-access, global communications networks change how reputations are made, perceived, and remade.
Note: We think the above statement is right on the money. Now and even more so in the future, it's possible to trash someone or something. The opposite is also true. If your video or written content linked on Twitter "goes viral," you're name and whatever you did or do can be known worldwide in a matter of seconds. The question is will people remember that name and your work a year or even a month later. Is this Warhol 2010, a new way to get your fifteen minutes of fame?
The social web and large groups of users can also make a business, a movie, a book, a CD, etc. a hit by writing positive reviews about it even if they haven't read the book or seen the movie.
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Don't forget, it's very possible to spend a few dollars and buy reviews from people from around the nation or globe write glowing reviews of a new movie or product. Here is one of many examples of companies that provide the service.
The opposite, the trashing of people and ideas and spreading false info (deliberately) via the social web is also of concern. Within a matter of seconds a group (that might be global and organized on the Internet) can simply trash a product, service, or person for whatever reason(s) they want. This is why digital information skills are ESSENTIAL. People must understand at the most basic level how this works and how it can be be manipulated. Look at the Daily Mail incident last weekend with the false report about the iPhone 4. It illustrated several things including that for many, even journalists, if it looks good and official then it must be.
As we said this earlier this week, the best defense to all of this is information literacy. But what about the people who don't have it or don't have it or the chance to get it? Is this a new and very important role for info pros and libraries?
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