The Economy and the Costs of Technology

Looks like we're headed for a double dip recession. And it looks like people are becoming more and more frugal about their consumption behaviors. Service and consumer product providers also seem to be girding for leaner times by trying to squeeze down their costs and pare down their product lines. What I see happening is a real contraction in the free-wheeling use of the internet. As ISPs try to extract more revenues by charging more for data usage, or by eliminating generous unlimited data usage plans, consumers will also be paring back on their internet consumption. Many folks trying to husband their resources in what appears to be a looming time of scarcity will undoubtedly cut back on things perceived as luxuries. I suspect that having unlimited access to the internet will be one of the first things to go. We can all do without the 24-7 live-streaming of Netflix. We can all do without excessive access to as much data as we find convenient. We will be more selective with what we access on the internet and won't be "hogging" data on whims of fancy. So, in short, I think we are headed into a time when we'll be moving back to books and conversation, instead of text messages, online movies, internet chats, blogging, and Facebook. As much as I've become accustomed to and enjoy liberal access to technology, I don't think this would necessarily be a bad thing.