As a new technology is adopted it is traditionally used as the previous technology was; however there is usually a second phase which changes the way the technology is used in a fundamental way.

There are a number of examples – maps for instance; paper was replaced with CD-ROMs and now we have online interactive maps such as Google maps with Street View.

Email replaced the post, however now email is used as one of the primary forms of communication, and beyond that it has changed into an organiser, scheduling tasks, events, following up reminders, identifying whether an email has been opened and read, voting buttons and much more.

The same is happening with data; in the past held on rolodexes, then spreadsheets and now servers with rapid access to massive amounts of information held in a data centre that can be accessed by remote devices – anytime, anywhere.

What’s the next big technology that will change the way people interact?