The Next Frontier

During medieval times, he who had land was deemed lord. As the industrial age dawned, and mass production entered the scene, he who had the people and the factories controlled the economy. Today, we live in an age of information and technology, where the billionaires are the geeks [and they don't even need to leave their rooms to earn]. IN THE FUTURE, when the internet finally spreads to every corner of the globe, and becomes accessible to every individual, then power rests in the hands of the providers: those who allow lightning-quick sharing of information.

Once the internet and its information-sharing capabilities become available to each and every person, and indispensable to each and every business, then control of humankind will be left to ISP's such as Verizon, AOL, or PLDT and BayanTel in the Philipines.

Imagine this: several years ago, when texting was just beginning to become a fad in this country, messages were sent free of charge. Globe and Smart waited until the time when Filipinos could no longer live without texting; and that's when they started charging ridiculous rates. Now, we are at the mercy of these service providers. When this happens to the internet, at a time when we just couldn't live without it, our lives will be held by the ISP's. Oh no...