Internet's Future 18 September 2017

Global Internet Report 2017: Paths to Our Digital Future

The future of the Internet is ours to shape for the next generation. Humanity must be at the centre of tomorrow's Internet.

The Internet has profoundly shaped our world and has changed our lives in both big and small ways. The technology change around us has happened both quickly and imperceptibly. The very first connections between computers nearly fifty years ago have been transformed into a wave of connectivity that covers the planet. New devices and innovations have given us more ways to harness the power of connectivity wherever we go and have given us functionality we could never have imagined.

We shouldn’t underestimate the fundamental changes that faster, more affordable access to the Internet has already brought and will continue to bring to humanity. The question is whether we are ready for what’s coming next.

Now is a big moment for the Internet. As we engaged with our community in the development of this report, it became clear that people are anxious about the future of the Internet. Some see a frightening future that awaits us in a technology-driven world. There are conflicting views around whether the Internet is a positive or a negative influence and while it becomes more and more central to our modern lives, we find that some are beginning to reject the globalised world view that it has fostered. On the other hand, communities just coming online see the Internet as “life”, as their connection to opportunity and freedom and they want a chance to influence its future.

This report serves to remind us that humans are at the very heart of the Internet. It reminds us that every one of us has a stake. Recognising this responsibility, the report suggests that we need to begin to think differently to acclimatise to the changes we are seeing. Just as the Internet is a mirror to society, we must better understand that it will reflect both the good and the bad that exists in the world. Most importantly though, this report reasserts our belief that the Internet belongs to everyone and that, as its custodians today, we all have a duty to shape its future.

Our hope is that the insights and recommendations put forward in this report will play a role in helping us all to set the Internet on the path that best serves the needs of an evolving society in the years to come.

In 2016, the Internet Society launched a project to better understand the forces of change that will shape the Internet over the next five to seven years. We engaged with a broad community of Members, Internet Society Chapters, experts and partners. We conducted three global surveys and two regional surveys that generated more than 3,000 responses from 160 countries. We also interviewed more than 130 Internet experts and users, and hosted more than 10 roundtables.

Through these surveys and interviews, the community identified six key forces – or ‘Drivers of Change’.

Drivers of Change

The Drivers of Change encompass technological, economic, regulatory, security and network related challenges for the future Internet. In all cases, the implications of one Driver are inextricably tied to another – for example, we fully expect the Role of Governments in the Internet to grow in large part due to the rise of Cyber Threats.

The Drivers of Change are:

an icon of a human head and brain
a padlock  with four stars
a paper leaf with a globe and an arrow
a paper leaf and symbols representing British Pound, US dollar, Euro and Yen
a car and a poll emitting internet connection
a government building with a flag on top

Areas of Impact

While these six Drivers of Change are interesting and important, what was clear from the outreach conducted was that the global Internet community is looking at these Drivers through the lens of three areas of impact. These Areas of Impact reflect the Internet Society’s fundamental belief that the interests of the user and society must remain at the forefront of any discussion on the future of the Internet. Each Driver of Change has implications for one or more of these Areas of Impact.

The Areas of Impact are:

a symbol of Wi-Fi
two chat boxes and three people
a hand and an eye in the middle

Recommendations

We are only beginning to understand the full value that the Internet can bring to tomorrow’s world. This said, what we know about the Internet tells us that its future will not be only about new technologies but also about empowering people.

The Internet may be decades old but we are still at the beginning of the journey. For 25 years now the Internet Society has been home to a global community of people who believe in a core set of values for the Internet. Throughout this project, it has been clear that people are looking at the future of the Internet through the lens of these core values that are as valid for the future as they were 25 years ago: The Internet must be globalopen and secure. And because we live in an interdependent world, decisions about the Internet’s future must be inclusive and multistakeholder.

So, how do we get there? How do we ensure that the Internet of the future is one that betters society, creates opportunity and empowers people? We believe that the key to the future is to put humanity at the centre of the online world.  The recommendations below suggest possible ways forward so that we will realise the Internet’s promise for all citizens of the globe:

Report Highlights

  • Executive Summary
  • How We See the Internet (pg.16-19)
  • Drivers of Change (pg. 21-61)
  • Areas of Impact (pg. 62-84)
  • What if? (pg. 85-103)
  • Recommendations (pg.104-110)
  • Global-Internet-Report-2017-Cover thumbnail

    Global Internet Report 2017

    Download
  • Paths-to-our-Digital-Future-Executive-Summary-thumbnail thumbnail

    Global Internet Report 2017 - Executive Summary

    Download
  • Global-Internet-Report-2017-Cover thumbnail

    Global Internet Report 2017

    Download
  • Paths-to-our-Digital-Future-Executive-Summary-thumbnail thumbnail

    Global Internet Report 2017 - Executive Summary

    Download

Related Resources

Internet's Future 23 September 2019

The Internet Society Survey on Policy Issues in Asia-Pacific 2019

The 2019 survey aims to contribute to policy debates and discussions—both in the APAC region and globally—on the trends...

About Internet Society 26 February 2019

Global Internet Report 2019: Consolidation in the Internet Economy

In this report, we ask whether the Internet economy is consolidating and, if it is, what the implications might...

Technology 22 November 2016

Global Internet Report 2016

The Global Internet Report 2016 explores the topic of data breaches and offers solutions to help secure the data...