Future of the Internet: Perceptions, Content, and Emerging Facilities

INTRODUCTION: The Internet has transformed communication, content sharing, and expectations for digital futures. This study explores current practices and perceptions regarding online content and emerging Internet facilities. OBJECTIVES: To identify sharing patterns across content types, assess perceptions of the Internet’s role, and evaluate attitudes toward future technologies. METHODS: A survey was administered to Internet users. Descriptive statistics and k-means clustering were applied to responses on sharing behaviours and perceptions of future Internet developments. RESULTS: The study shows that online sharing practices are largely private, with public sharing concentrated in visual media, and three distinct user profiles identified through clustering. Perceptions of the Internet emphasized its professional consequences, global connectivity, and a shift toward predictive, video-centered environments. Attitudes toward emerging technologies revealed support for AI and connectivity but caution toward biometrics and immersive interfaces, with three attitudinal groups—skeptics, realists, and enthusiasts—capturing this heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: Content sharing is context-driven, reflecting both privacy concerns and social expression. Users anticipate a video-centered, AI-enhanced, and globally unifying Internet, while remaining wary of technological overreach.