Presence is the
Next Frontier
in Connectivity
Overheard at ON_Discourse
Editors Note: What if Internet 2025 was really a story about enhanced digital infrastructure? The majority of the future-speculation focuses on novel consumer tech experiences but pays little attention to reimagining the way devices connect. This perspective comes from a technology executive who has a compelling vision for how humans and devices will soon interoperate.
This post was written by a human and narrated by an AI-generated voice. (powered by Wondercraft.ai).
The next internet is going to manifest most inside your home. It will transform all of the web-connected devices that currently operate inside into a hyper-personalized, ultra-connected, interoperability hub. This is not IoT; this is the era of connected presence.
You may not have noticed this, but we need an upgrade in connectivity. Since 2019, the number of connected devices inside homes has increased 40%. Consider this trend as new web-based gadgets continue to hit the market. The Apple Vision Pro is a niche product today but it is only a matter of time before it gets added to the TVs, phones, tablets, game consoles, computers, watches, and fitness devices that are currently tapping into the average household’s WiFi signal.
The hardware might be modern, but the connectivity is not. Connectivity today is limited and fundamentally unaware of its surroundings. It is a dumb two-way exchange: the devices get data from the internet so the user can access relevant data from the device. Many household devices serve multiple members, organizing multiple account preferences and experiences for each respective member. This all might sound too obvious, but consider this: the smart TV is pretty dumb when you turn it on; you have to tell it who you are before it can do its thing. These devices are connected to the internet but not to the people.
Since 2019, the number of connected devices inside homes has increased 40%
The people in a room with a device contain enough information to transform its functionality into a deeply personalized, relevant experience.
The next internet is going to know who is turning the TV on, every time. Let me take this one step further: the next internet is going to know who else is in the room when the TV gets turned on; it is going to take all of this information into account so it can deliver a relevant experience from the jump. The father in the room with his 10 year old daughter at 7pm is going to get a different experience than when the father is in the room by himself at 7am.
This is why presence is the next frontier in connectivity. The people in a room with a device contain enough information to transform its functionality into a deeply personalized, relevant experience. The next internet is a seamless integration of technology that is marrying physical and digital worlds that is just starting to take shape.
This shift towards presence-based connectivity represents a broader trend in technology, where the focus is on creating experiences that are not only personalized but also deeply ingrained in the rhythm of our homes.
