It's time to take a look at what the Internet in 2035, or the early 21st century, might look like!
1. A more energy-efficient and sustainable network#
By 2035, the carbon emissions from the world's Internet will be greatly reduced, and it is highly likely that carbon peaking will have been achieved before then, actively moving towards carbon neutrality. This statement is not without reason.
To create a more low-carbon network, one aspect is the significant increase in the number of low-tech, low-energy independent websites, gradually replacing centralized large-scale network platforms. The increase in the number of the former is related to a more technology-oriented and open Internet culture, while the decrease in the number of the latter is closely related to the decentralization movement of the network. However, overall, the carbon emissions of the Internet in 2035 will be effectively reduced due to the decline and disappearance of centralized large-scale network platforms such as certain social networks. This is not difficult to understand. Some large social networks, in order to profit, must maintain "long-term high-performance" online, which leads to serious resource consumption and waste. The energy consumption of a large data center is thousands of times that of an ordinary household, and most of the energy is wasted during low network traffic periods. In 2035, due to a more open Internet culture and the widespread adoption of IPv6, everyone will have the right to use their access network to build their own websites. Moreover, because these websites are personal and non-profit, they do not need to handle extremely large traffic or maintain "24*7 online" status - they may only be online for 8 or even 5 hours during peak periods. And because of their light workload, their power consumption can be very low, as low as 2W in extreme cases, and can work normally at around 50W in general. Considering the further development of semiconductors by 2035, the power consumption of these devices can be much smaller than currently expected (because energy efficiency can be further improved). The plan for personal blogs and other independent websites to gradually replace large social networks may sound crazy, but it will effectively reduce energy waste and also improve the stability of the network.
The second aspect is the widespread use of new energy technologies. There are two forms of this: one is the update of the fuel/technology structure on the power supply side, and power plants will use cleaner, environmentally friendly, and more efficient technologies, such as solar, hydro, and nuclear power generation, which will reduce carbon emissions even for the most ordinary devices plugged into power outlets. However, this is a change at the social and energy technology levels. From the perspective of individual technology application, new energy can also be popularized in a "direct" form to every household. In 2023, some people were already using a combination of low-power servers and solar panels to provide web services. In 2035, this combination is expected to become a standard configuration. A properly sized solar panel, a battery, and a server the size of a microcontroller become a means for individuals, families, and organizations to record their thoughts on what they see and hear in a free and environmentally friendly manner. These two forms, one focusing on power supply optimization on the power supply side, and the other focusing on reasonable power consumption on the power consumption side, can run website services inexpensively through simple new energy servers.
The third aspect relies on the correct treatment of blockchain technology. In 2023, blockchain technology is extremely energy-intensive and difficult to trace, and it is likely to spread rapidly worldwide. In 2035, this situation is unlikely to change. The design of blockchain determines that it is difficult to become a high-energy-efficient network. However, the Internet will not really regress to the era of minimalist independent blogs as imagined by those WEB1 retroists. On the contrary, the scope of blockchain use will be greatly limited, and its manifestations will be different from those in 2023. The blockchain in 2035 should be smarter and not indiscriminately precipitate all the sediment of the Internet. Instead, it will be used for the release and transmission of sensitive content to counter possible interception and tampering, rather than everyday life recording. Its function as a wallet may also be further strengthened.
2. A network where the cloud service system collapses#
In 2023, independent blogs were not fundamentally independent because most of them were hosted on cloud servers, which were still not truly decentralized as they relied on centralized cloud service platforms. In the Internet of 2035, the cloud service system will have collapsed, gradually disappearing from the Internet due to long-term insolvency.
How was this achieved? It is thanks to IPv6 being able to provide sufficient public domain IP addresses to everyone. In 2023, IP addresses on the Internet are still primarily based on IPv4, and for various reasons, many users still disable IPv6 even though their ISPs have allowed IPv6 links. IPv4 is a product of the ancient Internet, and its quantity is extremely scarce, with most of it being occupied by cloud service providers. However, in 2035, the huge number of IPv6 addresses and their experienced and proper management will give every broadband user the opportunity to have one and use it to build their own website. This corresponds to the first point: because the original giant data centers have been divided into countless individual devices, they will now be more easily converted to low-carbon mode.
In addition to IPv6, updated Internet protocols may also contribute to the collapse of the cloud service system and the establishment of a decentralized independent website system. In 2035, it is highly likely that the TCP protocol will fade out of the Internet and be replaced by a default encrypted protocol that is more in line with the modern Internet rather than a strategic security network. It could be UDP or another refreshing scientific product. In any case, the era of typing a domain name or IP address into a browser and pressing enter to access a website may be gone forever.
The collapse of the cloud service system also has the benefit of effectively improving the stability of the Internet. In centralized cloud services, if a cloud service provider goes bankrupt or a major disaster occurs, much data will be lost forever and many services will be paralyzed. However, in a decentralized and independent website system, a small accident will not undermine the entire Internet, but only result in the disappearance of an unknown small website - minimizing the loss.
3. A network of open interaction#
The world in 2035 will be completely different from the world in 2023. This difference is not limited to the technical field but is more comprehensive and broader for all of humanity. The development of social sciences will bring about a more open, free, equal, and rational society - a society that values technology more. This will inevitably lead to the Internet being at the forefront of open thinking, becoming a place for open and interactive communication, equal and free.
As mentioned earlier, using home broadband to build websites seemed difficult in 2023. But in 2035, it will undoubtedly be easier, thanks to new technologies and new steps for getting online. In the independent website system, people's speech will be more free and equal, and there will be more comprehensive intellectual interactions. This in itself is already good. To truly emphasize the open interaction of the network, widespread use of free software is needed, as well as the widespread promotion of the spirit of free software through education and the media, reaching into the hearts of everyone. This will make every free software developer and supporter feel respected and create an atmosphere that naturally values technology - an atmosphere that will inevitably lead to a higher level of openness. Free software will connect the world across borders and backgrounds, becoming a truly open and interactive network.
The open and interactive network will not only be open to technology enthusiasts but to everyone, from newborn babies to the elderly. This is another concept - network interaction will not be limited to the network but will aggressively invade everyone's daily lives. In 2035, when more people buy things, they may choose to swipe their cards instead of scanning QR codes. On the one hand, after the disappearance of centralized cloud service platforms, mobile payment services may become more complicated to use, and on the other hand, this action of swiping cards has also been "aggressively interacted" by the Internet. The POS machine is no longer just an ordinary terminal but has evolved into a node in the blockchain network. The card being swiped is actually a physical key - but the most peripheral users of the Internet do not need to understand this. They will only feel a sense of familiarity and feel that the era of being able to live a wonderful life without understanding any technology has returned, thus enjoying their old age. For students studying in schools, because their information is securely stored in open-source systems, their parents no longer have to be harassed by phone calls from various schools all day long, allowing them to focus on their work. Even for children attending kindergarten, with the Internet providing more free programs, they can also be monitored by AI-equipped cameras, effectively avoiding accidents. In these scenarios, the Internet seems to "disappear" but secretly works in the background, sprinkling its benefits in various inconspicuous ways into everyone's lives. This is its most valuable aspect.
Conclusion#
I believe this is what the Internet in 2035 should look like in my eyes. It is still one of the crystallizations of human wisdom and a powerful tool for human life. But many aspects have improved. It is more stable, more secure, more low-carbon, and more open. However, the most valuable aspect is that it has finally become interactive - it may appear more "low-tech" than before, but this low-tech is precisely the highest level of wisdom.
Perhaps, this is also a kind of silent beauty?