The Future of the Internet

For the first time, I live-streamed myself. 

Yes, that's me. Yes, the phone was tilted this way (and it wasn't deliberate). It was for a Facebook group I’m a part of and in the evening this week, a whole group of members created something of a marathon, one after the next and I felt somewhat compelled to jump on the bandwagon.

I can’t say that anything within the realm of exciting happened. Much of my time during the stream was spent juggling answering questions from those who were watching and working on a school assignment. Fun was had nevertheless and it had me thinking about doing it a little more often - perhaps more publicly.

Even more so, it had me thinking about WHY we livestream (which is essentially part of why we use social media) and the future of the internet. Basic questions, of course, but ones that I think are worth keeping in mind as we live through further technological advancements.

Of course, using social media (and live streaming on it) comes down to a simple basic human desire: the need to connect with others, to be part of a group, to engage.

Live-streaming takes that notion and puts it to a more interactive level, where your face, body and voice is being broadcast to people all over the world generally. It’s all about engagement and creating live content that communicates your values in a way that is entertaining and valuable helps that engagement grow.

Decades ago, we might have only had the ability to be part of one by physically walking down the street to the town hall or a convention centre. That practice is still very much intact, but thanks to the Internet, joining a group has become much easier - whether it be through Facebook, Twitter, Skype or Twitch. There’s almost no need to leave the house.

Now, where does it go from there? How exactly does it predict the future of the internet? I wish I had a good answer for these very questions, but to be truthful, I just don’t know.

We'll just have to see.