BUSINESS WEEK — Apr 19 — The Internet of the future, and the vast wealth of information and services on it, will look different: slicker, more realistic, more interactive and social than anything we experience today. "Three-dimensional virtual worlds will, in the near future, be pervasive interfaces for the Internet," says Bob Moore, a sociologist who studies virtual worlds at PARC, in Silicon Valley. Virtual worlds are inherently social settings. "You go up to an avatar and you know there's a real person on the other end," says Joe Miller, VP at (Second Life) Linden Lab. Social interaction is the key driver of people's use of the Internet today. From social networking sites to participatory projects such as Wikipedia to sharing services like Google's YouTube, e-mail and IM.

The full article was originally published at Business Week, but is no longer available.

BUSINESS WEEK — Apr 19 — The Internet of the future, and the vast wealth of information and services on it, will look different: slicker, more realistic, more interactive and social than anything we experience today. "Three-dimensional virtual worlds will, in the near future, be pervasive interfaces for the Internet," says Bob Moore, a sociologist who studies virtual worlds at PARC, in Silicon Valley. Virtual worlds are inherently social settings. "You go up to an avatar and you know there's a real person on the other end," says Joe Miller, VP at (Second Life) Linden Lab. Social interaction is the key driver of people's use of the Internet today. From social networking sites to participatory projects such as Wikipedia to sharing services like Google's YouTube, e-mail and IM.

The full article was originally published at Business Week, but is no longer available.