Might technology change from current to what Johnny (Keanu Reeves) uses in the movie Johnny Mnemonic? Well, it might be possible, but our technology must have to progress a long way before we are able to speed through the circuitry of the internet.
Although we have virtual reality today, it is not even close to being sophisticated enough to be virtual and functional over the phone lines long distances. The virtual reality that we have that is closest to Johnny's virtual travels within the internet is a laser tag type game with very Atari 2600 like graphics. The scenery in Johnny's internet world is very graphically detailed, not to mention complicated with having to travel through the whole internet system. Yes, we might be at that point one day (probably not in my lifetime), but do we really need this kind of technology? No, of course we don't need it, but since progress is always happening, there is no doubt that technologists will be working towards Johnny Mnemonic's time.
So, though we may not be close to being caught up with Johnny's technology, our own technological advances are quite something to be proud of. The popularity of the internet has exploded in the past year. The internet used to be used as a researcher's and scientist's tool for exchanging data and it wasn't long ago that nothing was ever mentioned publicly about on-line. Today it is very different. You can't go a day without hearing something on the news about the net, see net addresses on commercials, or flipping through the paper or a magazine and seeing internet articles or ads with electronic addresses.
Amazingly, computer technology has been turning over at a rate of about every ten to twelve months and it won't be long before the movie Johnny Mnemonic is not such a stretch of the imagination.