Social, Technical and Economic Consequences of the Internet Evolution
Vinton Cerf, one of the founding fathers of the internet, discusses new internet products and services that may be appearing over the next decade. He also explores the business consequences of dramatic changes in the economics of computing, networking and international demographics. Dr. Cerf will receive the Priestley award for his key technical and managerial role in the creation of the Internet, in particular, for leading the development of the TCP/IP protocols.
It is difficult to identify anything that has changed our lives to the extent that the Internet has. While the 19th century industrial revolution led to manufacturing prowess, expanding GDP and an increase in per capita purchasing power, the technological revolution which so much of Dr.Cerf’s work represents has captured the essence of human evolution and has taken us places previously incomprehensible. Who would have imagined that we could one day monitor the progress of our washer/dryer from our office desk? Who would have imagined that we could one day browse BBC online from the moon? These ideas are now, or soon to become, reality. The Internet has transformed international commerce, communication and entertainment, and with the prospect of interplanetary internet access on the horizon, it appears that the information age has only just begun. The Internet has empowered so many and so much that in 2006 Time magazine voted “you” as person of the year largely due to broadcast yourself websites such as Youtube.com. We have the potential to become a largely paperless world with electronic billing and mail which will allow us to protect our environment and help slow global warming. It seems almost impossible to describe the seemingly infinite ways in which the internet has changed our world. If we return to the question “who would have imagined…?” the answer is Vinton Cerf.
internet, computer, networking, TCP/IP protocols, technology, websites
Cerf, Vinton. "Social, Technical and Economic Consequences of the Internet Evolution." Ensemble video, 01:39:21. September 27, 2007. ://ensemble.dickinson.edu/Watch/f9QBj3e7