The Future of Social Networking in 2050

1. The Future of Social Networking in 2050 By Alex, Kim, Nicole, Jessie, and David

2. Mobile Computing: The Way of the Future • “Combining social and mobile-- there is a new wave of opportunities coming up, a growth of users, so mobile internet is clearly the next major computing cycle.” -- Ram Shriram, founding board member of Google • Using cell phones on a mobile network is increasingly popular • In the future, internet will be global and wireless. Information will be at our fingertips within seconds

3. Technology as a Sixth Sense • Computers will be able to give us information through gestural or more organic means • We will be able to get information no matter where we are • Majority of information will be delivered before we even have to ask for it or send it • Homogenized culture… knowing people before you even meet them, equal access to information to everyone

4. Technology • RFID Tagging • (Radio frequency Identification) • RFIDs are small, easy to manufacture transponders that can be made as small as a grain of sand • Companies like Abercrombie and Fitch are already starting to experiment with this technology to track inventory • RFID tags could be implanted into anything, from a sweater to a box of cookies • handheld smart phones interact with RFIDs • Smart phones would make spontaneous networks between other nearby phones, and gather information about whatever object the transponder is tagging

5. Technology cont… • Arduino Chips • Make objects ‘smart’ • Small, easy to make computing chips • A man has programmed one so that his chair puts a tweet on twitter whenever it senses noxious gases • Mean we are delivered information before we even have to look for it • Projected Displays • Wearable computer systems that turn almost any surface into interactive display screen • Develops a sixth sense through technology

6. Implications • Homogenization of culture… unity and acceptance of all walks of life • Privacy issues  as information becomes more available, controlling who sees it will become more difficult • ‘Online’ identities will be controlled through one online profile or email account (like OpenID) • If hacked, this could have disastrous consequences

7. Implications cont… • How will we censor information? How will we control it? • Identity theft will be a major concern • Quantum computers will replace today's computers, having the ability to break encrypted code in seconds •  today's computers would take 20 years to break same code • Biometrics (finger prints, iris scan, voice recognition) will be highly used to identify individuals • DNA theft= theft of the future • Even pacemakers could be hacked in future

8. Project Concept • Make a ‘fake’ website that is a news website from the year 2050 • Have an article special on online hackers and how to protect identity • This will be a good platform to introduce tagging, face-recognition, and other technologies of the future • Information contained in articles, video (mock interviews), and possibly some interactive content as a mock guide on how to better regulate privacy settings and prevent identity theft