computer technology usability at home

Broadband (DSL or Cable) is readily available and fairly easy to set up using wizards. There has been a significant drop in price of wireless routers, desktops, external disk storage deviuces, and wireless enabled laptops and at the same time the Windows XP, Mac, and Linux environments have been made easy to setup and use. When all this is put together with the convergence of video, audio, TV, aand the Internet; it becomes easy to see that we are nearing the point where there will be a big increase in the use of networked computer technology in the home.

Price has nearly become a non-issue, but setup and ease of use are still not quite there. Standards have been developed, and the mechanism of using wizards has become understood and is becomming common place. Broadband, home computers, and internet access is now available inthe majority of homes. The majority of teen and adult population now have internet access and are familiar with using computers and the Internet (for shopping, banking, entertainment, information, etc.). All that really remains if for the society to get used to using these tools and for the tools to become a bit easier to install, setup, and use.

I suspect that within the next 5 years we are going to see a major increase in the use of all this stuff in the daily lives of the majority of households and that there will be a big effect on the economic and social fronts. I am sure that there will be a lot of unanticipated consequences, but I also think that we can foresee some of the changes.

I beleive that many of our social transactions such as interacting with friends, buying stuff, entertaining ourselves, and so forth with start with a computer based action. This makes the providers of the access to broadband, web sites, and web based software a key component of how society works. This will cause a buch of law and regulation activity as well as changes in consumer expectations and what kinds of behavior society will tolerate.