The Internet Is Changing Everything

I think the internet is man's greatest invention. It is changing the world in ways no one can fully explain. It has led to the biggest industry on earth -- internet companies are worth more than any other industry's companies.

The world is now just a click away. Learning is just a YouTube.com or some other website away. There is no 3rd world or 1st world online. You've got the same edge as anyone from anywhere in the world. You have access to the same technology core. You are not limited to the knowledge that is only locally available. Your reach and market is now global. New opportunities and possibilities. In fact, the world is now a global hamlet.

image: readwrite.com

Unfortunately, a lot of us still see the internet as a youth thing. Or just a tool to help you get your emails and search for articles online. The internet is much more than that. It's more than a tool. It's more like a platform, a rising tide that raises all boats. And it's much more robust and powerful than to be referred as a youth thing. And to shock you a bit, it requires infinitely more intelligence than any other activity/field/platform/business in the world. A classic example is the founders of AirBnB, they ran out of cash while building their internet company and just to make some money to keep the internet company going they started a manufacturing company and succeeded extremely well, made more than the money they needed and went back to focusing on their internet business. Where do you think all the most intelligent and creative guys in the world are? I hope you are not thinking hospitals or banks or court rooms or on top of a telecoms mast. The most intelligent and creative guys in the world (maybe with the exclusion of Nigerians) are working for internet companies. Like Google, Amazon and Facebook. Even Apple and Microsoft are now rebranding as internet companies. And some of these guys are starting their own internet companies. It's the ultimate test of entrepreneurship. You compete with everyone in the world. Someone in India can suddenly put you out of business. Even Google can spin off a side project that will kill your business. 

Lots of manufacturing companies in Japan and South Korea now have internet controlled/enabled robots replacing factory workers. It is changing the manufacturing industry forever. Any task that can be automated is now automated. There are now self driving cars -- no pedals or steering wheel just an on/off button and destination picker. The business world is changing forever. Low skilled jobs will be automated, or filled with robots. What you can do with your hand will no longer be able to feed you, but what you can do with your brain. Companies making use of this internet enabled technologies will be able to produce everything from rice to beds to clothes to drugs to pots to papers to cement to packaged foods very cheaply and with very high quality. Such that it would be a no brainer to buy them over the locally produced ones. They will kill our local companies that (always) refuse to do things on a global standards level. 

Our local stores will now be facing competition from Amazon, eBay and other well established online stores. People will find their goods cheaper, find a wider range of products to choose from and get better customer service (which is missing in Nigeria). 

When the current 40+ years old generation pass away, the newspaper companies will have to find a new line of business. Some are already becoming events/training planners. The TV stations will have a tough time getting and keeping eyeballs. 

The internet is changing everything.