by W. David Stephenson

About the author: W. David Stephenson is an Internet strategist and futurist. He teaches Internet strategy courses at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Now that legions of Internet workers—including me—are unemployed, I’m frequently asked about the Internet’s future.

True, maybe people aren’t as eager to buy dog food or patio furniture online as we may have thought a year ago. But the Internet’s impact remains profound— and highly beneficial. Three positive principles fostered by the Internet have altered the way we live and do business: linking everything, closing the loop, and empowering individuals.

Linking everything: When the Defense Department launched ARPANET, the Internet’s precursor, in 1969, the government made a conscious decision not to set rules for its use. Rather...