Over the past 25 years, the Internet has become a central part of our everyday lives. Even so, there are still over three billion people in the world who don't have access to broadband internet. Thanks to a combination of new technologies, this will change rapidly over the next 5 years. This change will open a wide range of potential opportunities and vulnerabilities as the Internet experiences its largest, and final, population boom. In this episode, Jim and I discuss key aspects of the Great Connecting, including ways to prepare for, and participate in, this transformative event. The technologies that will allow the parts of the world who don’t have internet currently to have it in the next two to three years - 5:59 What potential benefits and vulnerabilities the internet will bring to areas that previously didn’t have it - 10:33 Why the benefits of the internet and social platforms outweigh the negatives - 20:53 How companies can prepare for and participate in this great connection - 25:01 What roles AI will play in this future state of connectivity - 30:02 Guest Bio Jim Cashel is the co-founder and chairman of Forum One Communications. As Forum One's Chairman, he works with the senior management team on strategic and leadership issues, helping to support a continuing mission of applying new and promising technologies to address societal problems of importance. He has a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford, a master’s degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School, and a medical degree from Harvard Medical.  In 2018-2019 Jim was a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy. He also recently published the book . Find Jim on Twitter @cashel as well as at ForumOne.com. Sources