Communication Technology 2022

Kaden J. Jacobs

Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

In the not so distant past, technologies we take for granted today, didn’t even exist yet. For example:

Solid State MemoryBroadband InternetSmart phonesHigh Definition TelevisionWiFi

As we progress towards 2022 and beyond, technology will continue to grow in ways we cannot imagine.

Most spectacularly, technologies we couldn’t dream of today, will be commonplace for our children.

My first smartphone circa 2005

Cloud Computing TodayThe concept of “cloud computing” was introduced in the

1960s by psychologist and computer scientist, J.C.R. Licklider.

Licklider’s intention was for information to be accessible to all people at all times, from anywhere on Earth.

Today, cloud computing is a growing

trend at home and in business.

Smartphone users can sync data

through the cloud to multiple devices.

Business can use cloud based documents to work on a project simultaneously.

Cloud Computing TomorrowBy 2022, the functionality and security issues associated with the

cloud will have been solved.

Cloud computing will remove the need for offices to have servers, as all computing will be done using ThinClient type software.

The cloud will eliminate the need for portable memory, decreasing the amount of electronic waste put into the environment.

The technology will allow for schools to more effectively educate our children, while allowing business to occur in a real-time environment, boosting efficiency and economic impact.

Cloud computing will be the lynchpin technology for future innovation in the technology industry.

Moore’s Innovation Adoption rate will have completed it’s cycle, and the “laggards” will have been forced to adopt the technology due to it’s widespread use in everyday life. The beginning stages of the cycle are at work right now, as I believe we are in the “early majority” phase of it’s adoption.

Technology and the Warfighter Today

As our dependence on technology increases, our future warfighting capabilities will further depend on our ability to use technology in offensive and defensive capacities. Communication is a key component of executing a successful mission.

Currently, all branches of the US Military utilize state-of-the-art communication technologies onboard all warfighting platforms.

Specifically, the US Navy has reduced the amount of personnel necessary to operate a Littoral Combat Ship by increasing the number of automated systems on board responsible for “life support systems”. This includes the ability for these system to communicate to one another and to the Captain of the ship.

This technological innovation in warfighting is just another step in the evolution of warfare, moving from the backpack radios of the Vietnam era to the integrated helmet communication systems of today.

Technology and the Warfighter Tomorrow

Ergonomics, in the sense of man and machine working as one, will become a critical component of the communications technology of the future.

Programs like the Navy’s “Gunslinger” program will work with the sailor, soldier, or marine on the ground to communicate effectively the composition of the battle space environment.

This includes integration of aerial sensors, with communication devices built into uniforms and gear, while also relying on future security technologies to ensure the stream of information cannot be interrupted.

Communication technologies in the future will help the United States to effectively wage war, or maintain peace, in hostile environments because of the commitment to communication innovation and technologies.

The US military will also be on the cutting edge of technology, representing the early adopters, and will help spread the technology into the civilian population through the Critical Mass Theory.

Specifically, uniformed service members using technologies in the field will want to bring those technologies home, helping spread its use and supporting it’s growth. This can be seen today through the widespread growth of recreational drone technologies.

Mobile Devices TodayFrom it’s meager beginnings, smart phones have become a ubiquitous sight in our everyday lives.

Mobile devices connect us, as a society, in ways our parents or grandparents could have never imagined.

Simply consider that the phrase “Where are you?”, would never have needed to be uttered on landlines phones. In order to contact the person, you’d have had to have known where they were.

The ability to be reached from anywhere, gather information from anywhere, and find your way anywhere is a technology we are all used to at this point, but it will only continue to grow as we move into the future.

Mobile Devices TomorrowDue to the Uses and Gratification theory, the ability for users to

seek out specific media will only increase as we move into the future. Mobile devices of all kinds will be essential in this quest.

The mobile devices of the future will have unlimited cloud connectivity and will be able to accomplish the same tasks as a desktop computer.

The high powered capability of the devices will enable people from across the globe to work, play, and communicate in ways we cannot conceive currently.

Devices will be thinner, lighter, more portable, and may be integrated into our everyday clothing.

Wearable technologies are already starting to be implemented, but mobile devices one day may be able to detect health issues before the occur, remind you about a meetings, and possibly protect you from adverse environments.

ReferencesDoughty, J. (n.d.). Woman Dialing Rotary Telephone Stock Photo 133441045. Getty Images. Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/woman-dialing-rotary-telephone-royalty-free-image/133441045

First Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone in US. (2005, September 17). First Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone in US. Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://phys.org/news6576.html

Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), United States of America. (n.d.). Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/littoral/

Mohammed, A. (2009, March 1). A history of cloud computing. A history of cloud computing. Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/A-history-of-cloud-computing

NSWC DAHLGREN DIVISION. (n.d.). Bringing technology to the warfighter. Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://www.navsea.navy.mil/nswc/dahlgren/Warfighter/GS/default.aspx

Rogowsky, M. (2013, June 6). More Than Half Of Us Have Smartphones, Giving Apple And Google Much To Smile About. Forbes. Retrieved August 9, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/markrogowsky/2013/06/06/more-than-half-of-us-have-smartphones-giving-apple-and-google-much-to-smile-about/

Steddum, J. (2013, June 4). A Brief History of Cloud Computing. SoftLayer Blog. Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://blog.softlayer.com/2013/virtual-magic-the-cloud