I’ve been blogging about the internet for a while, and using it for far longer. Born in a region that lies at the heart of web innovation, I was exposed to the network early on in my life and that no doubt has influenced my outlook on this process of digitization that I see sweeping the globe. Obviously I am not the only one who has observed this, and I have been strongly influenced by people like William Gibson, Donna Haraway, Manuel Castells, Richard Stallman, danah boyd, Shigeru Miyamoto and Howard Rheingold, among many others.

Nevertheless, as a longtime internet user, I believe that there are more signs now than ever before that the increasing adoption of the internet as a crucial tool in the everyday lives of Americans has reached a tipping point. Yes, Americans have been on the net for well over a decade,  but I would argue that users have demonstrated a new depth of participation with the web this year. Just since the beginning of 2009 we have seen an audience of millions watching online video streams of the Obama inauguration, a massive institutionalization of so-called ‘citizen journalism’ during the #IranElection, and a sudden demonstration of how the influence of and affinity for a cultural icon like Michael Jackson can translate into a quantifiable asset.

The key to this growth, and the value proposition that it contains, are connected to the complimentary nature of the emergent network identity that now cuts across many demographics. While there was a time when nobody on the internet knew you were a dog, now identity is increasingly associated with the web experience. Because the web is becoming a part of American’s everyday lives, users will expect to be able to interact with the brands, products and companies that impact their lives on it, and when they are unhappy with that experience they will be able to make their displeasure known to the members of their social network.

Mine was an early introduction to the virtual lifestyle of the internet, but the generation being born today is more likely to have a network identity from the cradle to the grave. In this new environment, the challenges and opportunities now facing industry are to be able to satisfy that customer expectation for interaction while benefiting from the increased intelligence on, and exposure to, those customers through the network.