Exploring Predictions

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Bill Gates Predictions:   Facebook, Smart Devices, and Home Security Monitoring

In 1999 Bill Gates published “Business @ the Speed of Thought: Succeeding in the Digital Economy”.  He made the predictions described below in this post and many others (Laliberte, 2022)!

 Although the internet was relatively new, he accurately predicted “private websites for friends and family” which became a reality in 2004 with the introduction of Facebook.  Mark Zuckerberg launched “The Facebook”, a social media website he developed to connect Harvard students (History.com, n.d.). Over one thousand people registered over the next day.  Now known as “Facebook”, the site became the most recognized social media company. Today, Facebook has over 2 billion active users.

 Another prediction made by Bill Gates: “People will carry around small devices that allow them to constantly stay in touch and do electronic business from wherever they are. They will be able to check the news, see flights they have booked, get information from financial markets, and do just about anything else on these devices”.  This is a reality since we do perform these tasks things on our phones and smartwatches.  It is tough to survive without our cell phones!

Gates also predicted home security monitoring services.  He stated:  "Constant video feeds of your house will become common, which inform you when somebody visits while you are not home."  Many of us have Ring cameras that notify us whenever someone approaches our residence.

Forces Affecting the Predictions

Technological forces were key to each of the listed innovations.  Key forces that enabled cell phone advancements include cellular networks, data speed advancement, SIM cards that enable cell phones to connect to the network, global positing systems (GPS), and app stores, namely the Apple store and Google Play store (Gold, 2017). There are still medical concerns associated with cell phones due to the radiation emitted from them close to the head.

In addition, the Internet was a key enabler for the development of Facebook and home monitoring systems.  Camera evolution also contributed to cell phone and home motoring systems advancements.

Each of these predictions and the associated innovations were also affected by social and societal forces.   We learned a new way of communicating with each other, and now we depend on this communication to navigate our existence in society!  Since each of these innovations is dependent on the Internet, there are information security, privacy, and in some cases personal safety concerns (Wikipedia).

References

Brice, A. (2021, July 1). Moskowitz: Cellphone radiation is harmful, but few want to believe it. Berkely News. https://news.berkeley.edu/2021/07/01/health-risks-of-cell-phone-radiation/

Gold, J. (2017, September 27). 11 tech breakthroughs that led to today’s smartphones. Computer World. https://www.computerworld.com/article/3222855/11-tech-breakthroughs-that-led-to-todays-smartphones.htmlLaliberte, M. (2022, June 22). 10 Crazy Predictions That Actually Came True. Reader's Digest. https://www.rd.com/list/predictions-that-came-true/

History.com (n.d.). Facebook Launches. This Day in History. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/facebook-launches-mark-zuckerberg

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Internet Safety. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_safety