The Pew Research Center has just released a report collecting visions from over 400 contributors of ways in which today's Internet (in the broad social sense, not simply as a data network) will change and evolve. This is very interesting reading. It's important to understand the context of this work. These comments were collected in Summer 2021 as part of a canvassing about the future of online public spaces and their role in democracy. The first report on online public spaces appeared in late November 2021 (I shared information about it on CNI-announce) and can be found at

The Future of Digital Spaces and Their Role in Democracy | Pew Research Center

Many experts say public online spaces will significantly improve by 2035 if reformers, big technology firms, governments and activists tackle the problems created by misinformation, disinformation and toxic discourse. Others expect continuing troubles as digital tools and forums are used to exploit people’s frailties, stoke their rage and drive them apart.

The new report is at

Visions of the Internet in 2035 | Pew Research Center

Asked to "imagine a better world online," experts hope for a ubiquitous – even immersive – digital environment that promotes fact-based knowledge, offers better defense of individuals’ rights, empowers diverse voices and provides tools for technology breakthroughs and collaborations to solve the world’s wicked problems.

which includes a link to the full PDF version of the report.

My thanks to the Pew Research Center and the Imagining the Internet Center at Elon University, who continue to produce these wonderful, thought-provoking and deeply informative surveys, and also to the always-helpful Gary Price for bringing this to my attention in a timely way.

Clifford Lynch Director, CNI