Home
Articles
What Is the Future of Our Networked Society?

What Is the Future of Our Networked Society?

Today, the smartphone is ubiquitous. But as the Internet of Things becomes more and more of a reality, what is the future of the phone? And, in the not too distant future, will it be replaced as our central operating device by such intelligent networked objects as smart clothing, smart glasses, and smart cars? At CES this year, I moderated a keynote panel featuring Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg, Qualcomm CEO Dr. Paul Jacobs and AT&T’s SVP of Network Operations John Donovan. And each of them spoke about their vision of a networked world in ten years time.

By Andrew Keen

March 13, 2014

At CES this year, I moderated a keynote panel featuring Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg, Qualcomm CEO Dr. Paul Jacobs and AT&T’s SVP of Network Operations John Donovan. And each of them spoke about their vision of a networked world in ten years time.

Vestberg, in particular, has a set of fascinating insights into the future. By 2050, he told me, 70 percent of the people on earth will live in cities. So, for him, the future is all about smart sensors, smart cities, and the way in which technology can be used to make our education and healthcare systems smarter.

Share This Article On:

By Andrew Keen

Author, "The Internet Is Not the Answer", Digital Vertigo

Andrew Keen is one of the world’s best known and most controversial commentators on the digital revolution.

He is the author of three books: “Cult of the Amateur,” “Digital Vertigo,” and his current international hit “The Internet Is Not The Answer,” which the London Sunday Times acclaimed as a “powerful, frightening read,” and the Washington Post called “an enormously useful primer for those of us concerned that online life isn’t as shiny as our digital avatars would like us to believe.”

He is executive director of the Silicon Valley innovation salon FutureCast, the host of the popular Internet chat show “Keen On,” a Senior Fellow at CALinnovates, a columnist for CNN, and a much acclaimed public speaker around the world. In 2015, he was named by GQ magazine in their list of the 100 Most Connected Men.