What's next for the World Wide Web?

Back in the day, when I used to call UK companies asking them if they'd like a website, the most common UK reply was, "Internet - what's that, we'd never want one of those".

Since then we've had the dot com bubble (remember whenever you went to a party or restaurant and everyone you met had an idea that would make a million) through to the dot com bubble burst (the end is nigh) through to Web 2.0 and now Social Media.

All through that period I've wondered where the net will end up - what will be its purpose - obviously it started as a research resource, then became a marketing tool and then a set of mash-ups that would take two ideas and merge them into one.

I now believe that the web has reached its plateau - namely a tool to affect people's lives in real tangible ways - arranging social life, making friends (virtual or otherwise), photo libraries, video uploads - all fantastic - but where will it go from here - have we seen the greatest innovations, and now we are refining them and finding different ways to interact (TV, Phone, Gaming Consoles etc) or is there more to come.

I'm not sure - think we are in a round of 're-furbs' - much like pubs who need to tidy up every 5 years and come up with new concepts to sell food and drink. Sooner or later there will be a new giant step forward - and my guesses are

• Fuller video experiences (ie proper interactive videos where you choose/contribute/affect and watch content with infinite variations).
• 3D computing - not 3d models on a 2d screen, but real 3d
• Full emersive experiences in your own home - in other words no more watching nature programs, but real 360 degree experiences that are as life-like as being there.

But something is nagging me, and that is that all of the above are not real innovations - they are logic steps - where will the jump come?

Alien contact by computer? - random I know, but think about it. Many years ago, people didn't really know what was going on in London, then as television came people could watch the 1966 World Cup or the Queen's coronation. Next up was air travel - 20 years ago we didn't really know what was going on culturally in China - now it is a 10 hour flight. Globalism has come and made the world a much smaller place - with the Internet playing a huge part in that.

Whether its updates from Tibet or Tweets from Richard Branson - technology has made everything feel so much closer. I'll lay money that part of the reason that this recession came so quick and so deep was down to technology and how quickly news (and fear can spread).

So if the world is getting smaller, information reaching us much quicker and virtual contact increasing, is it so unreasonable to assume that the next giant step for mankind might be contact from space. The Sci-Fi enthusiasts amongst you have always known that Aliens have superior technology, so surely it would be the easiest method of contacting us - who knows they could already be posting blogs and using chat rooms.

Like I said very outlandish, and very unlikely, but it dreaming the impossible will , in the end, mean technical evolution - question is where do you think it will go?