Digital Natives, or those who grew up using higher end technology as an integral part of their education brings with it two very real problems. As generations are removed from the invention of a technology the mystery behind how it actually works deepens, people on whole do not care how a telephone works, it is a tool. They use the object for what it was intended. You don’t have to know how the network was built to use it effectively. However without knowing anything about the network it is also quite easy to gloss over the value of the basics.

The second problem is that people take certain aspects of the operation of the network or technology for granted, and there are fewer people who understand how to fix it. The more complex a system gets the harder it is for one person to know it in its entirety. Specialization breeds disorganization and a dilution of ideas and a much less cohesive vision for where the technology is headed.

Think of it this way. In terms of an older Generations networks. Eisenhower and his administration envisioned a network of high capacity highways crossing the country to facilitate  interstate traffic, and build a quick network to be used in defense of the country. In the simplest sense this network was designed and built over the course of very few years, it was one of the largest public works projects ever conceived and completed. The system 50 years after its inception covers almost 50,000 miles of road. The problem with this system now is that the traffic patterns are changing as population centers shift, and areas of industry go through changes. In the Philadelphia area there are a large collection of exists close to previous centers of industry, which now lie fallow for the most part. The areas of higher population density become crowded and jammed routinely causing delays.

The network has grown in usefulness and necessity far beyond what was envisioned over 50 years ago, and by its usefulness it is also impossible to simply tear a highway down and build a new one, things are incrementally more difficult to maintain when they are in high use.

It is much easier to build a new system than it is to maintain an older one, if you weren’t the architect.  Europe has mastered the art of City planning having continuous population centers for over a thousand years in some parts, ever changing and every shifting. The United states on the other hand is still going through growing pains in that area.

Take this allegory on put it onto Computer networks the Internet was designed about 30 years ago and came into its own a little over 15 years ago at this point, the speed of adoption has slowed recently but more people are online now than ever. Countries originally left out of the plan are now making up large slices of the traffic. Lucky for us the network is not a permanent thing such as the highways but rather a constantly vacillating enterprise all its own. The network has grown beyond the ability of one person or one company to manage. By its decentralized nature the network was never designed to go through one hub of decision making, and this is a constant source of irritation to the country that built the network in the first place.

The United States grew up with the Internet, but the people who designed the network are a slowly dwindling resource. Yes the kids today who hope online and facebook, and twitter without a second thought are building new networks and exploring new terrain, but they lack an understanding of how the network is built so they don’t understand the dangers of the network.

System admins know that there is no such thing as anonymous traffic, The designers of the network knew this. However ask any 15 year old kid on any social network if they are anonymous when they are online and you are apt to get a positive response. This is a dangerous thing, When the network grows beyond the understanding of the drones who use it it starts to lend itself to serve those who strive to understand it, and use the data streams for profit. How long before the mindless video watching, twittering and status updates all feed into the coffers of unseen data mines?

Its already here, Big Brother is no longer watching, he’s laughing all the way to the bank.
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