Prospective on the next twenty five years…: into the next millennium: some thoughts on IS practice and research

In this, the 25th anniversary issue of DATA BASE, other authors have looked back from whence we came. As in most retrospectives, we find we have come much farther than we originally thought in some things, yet nowhere near as far in others. It has been said that we never move as far in five years as we forecast. However, we move far beyond the wildest forecasts over the span of a generation. This is particularly so in the rapidly changing information systems (IS) field. In this article, we will gaze into the crystal ball and consider where IS might be heading in the next 25 years. The intent is to engage the reader through postulating future possibilities. To do this, we are going to consider where the consumers of information technology are going and the role IT will play in getting them there. We will consider the technology itself, and where that might be going. We will discuss some impacts on the information technology industry, or what might be a better future name, the information industry. Finally, we will consider the future role of academe and its journals, as they are impacted and impact the field of IS.