The world is likely to live with trust and privacy issues in the years ahead as the dependence on the Internet is set to grow, according to a new report.
Pew Research Center, which conducted with Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center a survey in 3016, got this sense from responses from a wide spectrum of people.
This is how they asked people the question:
“Billions of people use cellphones and the internet now and hundreds of millions more are expected to come online in the next decade. At the same time, more than half of those who use the internet and cellphones still do not use that connectivity for shopping, banking, other important transactions and key social interactions. As more people move online globally, both opportunities and threats grow. Will people’s trust in their online interactions, their work, shopping, social connections, pursuit of knowledge and other activities be strengthened or diminished over the next 10 years?”
The answers revealed that of the 1,233 who responded to this nonscientific canvassing, 48% chose the option that trust will be strengthened; 28% of these particular respondents believe that trust will stay the same; and 24% predicted that trust will be diminished.
Interestingly, participants were asked to explain their answers and were offered the following prompt to consider: Which areas of life might experience the greatest impact? Economic activity? Health care? Education? Political and civic life? Cultural life? Will the impacts be mostly positive or negative? What role might the spread of blockchain systems play?
In their responses, people cited the spread of encryption, better online identity-verification systems, tighter security standards in internet protocols, new laws and regulations, new techno-social systems like crowdsourcing and up-voting/down-voting or challenging online content.
The survey also sought people’s opinion in view of the blockchain technology in terms of its role on trust on the internet since the encryption-protected digital ledger protects transaction from being edited.
An overview of the themes found among the written responses six major themes.
1- Trust will strengthen because systems will improve and people will adapt to them and more broadly embrace them
2-The nature of trust will be more fluid as technology embeds itself into human and organizational relationships
3-Trust will not grow, but technology usage will continue to rise, as a ‘new normal’ sets in
4-Some say blockchain could help; some expect its value might be limited
5-The less-than-satisfying current situation will not change much in the next decade
6-Trust will diminish because the internet is not secure and powerful forces threaten individuals’ rights
