The Future Internet

In 1995 technology analyst Gartner [1] developed a hype cycle model for the adoption of technology. The cycle comprises five stages from the initial technology trigger through to a final plateau of productivity along a with a peak of inflated expectations, a tough of disillusionment and the slope of enlightenment. The hype cycle is notable technique for plotting and identifying waves of innovation and hype in technology and digital communications. Yet, from where we stand, we can see the waves of innovation becoming increasingly shorter, the troughs less deep and the peaks of expectations higher. The read-write revolution, that is arguably known as Web 2.0, has transformed our experience of using the Internet from a source of information to a means of communication and participation. It has introduced mirror worlds, the cloud, wikitecture, social shaping, connected places, folksonomies and many other terms that I am sure many of us have used in recent grant applications and papers. This is the here and now, all of these technologies are past the technology trigger point and rising up the peak of inflated expectations with a few already heading towards the trough before becoming mainstream and approaching mass adoption. [...]