Do you remember life before the iPod, smart phones, and wifi-internet access?
In 2000, less than half of the United States was online. Now more than three quarters is plugged in. Desktop work computers used to be people's main access to the Internet. Now personal laptops and smart phones allow instant connections.
In this decade, Google searches began to organize online information and Apple revolutionized the digital industry with the iPod. Media, from music to newspapers to television, became available on demand and traditional print news was forced to shift online, often for free.
Social networks, first Friendster and MySpace and now Facebook and Twitter, created virtual spaces for people to connect with one another, spread news and share.
In this report correspondent Ray Suarez talks with leading tech gurus about how this technology changed our cultural lives and what we can expect in the coming years.
Quotes
"If you think about the "Avatar" movie...imagine, in 10 years, that you will be able to make up stuff at that level of intensity yourself. And I think, in 10 years, no kid who can't make up something like "Avatar" in an afternoon is going to be able to get a date. And I think that is going to be just great." Jaron Lanier, author
"The biggest [change] was not just the Internet, but the Internet becoming accessible everywhere, whether it was Wi-Fi at work, on your cell phone as you traveled. People had it at home with broadband. There was a big change." Esther Dyson, chairman, EDventure Holdings
"Remember, in 1999, there were 500 million cell phones on this planet. Today, it's at 4.5 billion. And that number looks to grow at about a billion a year. And all of them are going to be smart." Paul Saffo, Stanford University
Warm Up Questions
1. Name some new technologies that you use now that did not exist ten years ago.
2. Imagine some new tech for the next 10 years.
Discussion Questions
1. What do you think about Jaron Lanier saying that the internet should not be so free? Do you agree? Why or why not?
2. How has technology affected your life in the last 10 years?
3. Do you still think there is a digital divide? Use examples to explain your answer.
4. What will robots be doing 10 years from now?
5. What is the relationship between technology and ethics? Which technologies are good and which are bad? What forces drive the direction of new gadgets and inventions?
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