The Global Internet Governance Forum, facilitated by the UN in Nairobi Sept. 26-30, 2011, was the sixth event in a series initiated through the processes of the World Summits on the Information Society. Global IGF meetings attract approximately 2,000 people from civil society, business, the technology sector, government and academia from more than 100 countries – most attending in person, with some also participating online. IGF is aimed at maximizing the advantages the Internet offers, addressing opportunities and challenges through non-binding informational discussions.
A team from Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center conducted interviews at the Global IGF to assess people’s attitudes about the future of the Internet in order to inform policy, identify key issues and provide a record of what people today think about the likely future of human networks. The following links lead to video survey pages that hold more than 500 video clips from interviews of attendees at the Global IGF 2011, offering up a selection of representative answers to eight futures-thinking questions:
1 – ACCESS is a primary goal of IGF. How will doubling the number of people online from 2 billion to 4 billion change the world? – Discuss the opportunities and dangers.
2 – EVOLUTION TO ALWAYS-ON: With MOBILE CONNECTIVITY many of us are living a life that is “always on” or “hyperconnected.” Some people even say the Internet is an extension of our brains and we are becoming cyborgs – human-computer beings. How does being connected online all the time change us as humans?
3 – INTERNET GATEWAY? – SOCIAL NETWORKS and APPS vs. WEB: In 2015 will most people generally go DIRECTLY to the World Wide Web to do their work, shopping, socializing and other online activities – as they have the past 20 years – OR will most people generally be using apps or social networks as their gateways for doing everything? Which will dominate most people’s lives: the open Web or apps and social networks?
4 – CREATOR AND INTERMEDIARY ETHICS: What responsibilities do technology innovators and designers and the organizations that produce our tools and access have to ethically serving the global public, and are they living up to them?
5 – THE FUTURE of the Internet Governance Forum: WILL IGF SURVIVE and still be relevant in 2015? Explain.
6 – HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: What is your greatest hope for the future of the Internet?
7 – CONCERN FOR THE FUTURE: What is your greatest fear or concern for the future of the Internet?
8 – THE FUTURE IN A NUTSHELL: Describe the future of the Internet in 10 seconds or less.
Return to Multimedia Visionaries Home Page >
Go to IGF-Vilnius 2010 home page >
Go to IGF-Egypt 2009 Home Page >
Go to IGF-Hyderabad 2008 Home Page >