One of my many strategies for thinking about the future includes the dropping of words. This old post explains the concept but an example of the idea can be found in the term “color TV.”
When most television sets were black-and-white it was necessary to add the word “color” as a necessary descriptor for new TVs. Over time, however, all manufactured sets were just assumed to be “color TVs” and the word “color” was dropped from the description.
In this same way, the Internet of Things–which I describe as the extension of the Internet to the physical world–is a relatively new idea but over time the words “of things” will be dropped and the Internet will simply be assumed to incorporate both the digital and the physical world.
Other words to be dropped: Online education, cloud computing, big data, precision farming, robotic surgery, 3-D manufacturing and artifical intelligence.
Interested in futurist Jack Uldrich other thoughts on the Internet of Things? Check out these recent posts:
10 Unexpected Ways the Internet of Things Will Open Up a Future of Possibilities
What Will the Future of the Internet Look Like?
The Internet of Things & The Jetson’s
