Strategically Communicating

This question could sound weird now, but there could be a time in the future where this question will not seem ridiculous or funny. In this book, Carr has described the Internet we know now and its effects on our brain, but where would this book stand in the future when we can smell the Internet?

Recently Time’s website reported that a company called Chaku Perfume has designed a new application to send smells via iPhone. An attachment made up of an atomizer and a small tank attached to an iPhone’s dock port, which allows a person to send smells to a friend who has the same application. http://techland.time.com/2012/10/17/new-app-sends-smells-via-iphone/

Developing the electric smell has been quite the project for many.  In 2011 UC San Diego developed a prototype for Samsung – a  “smell-o-vision” device that could emit up to 10,000 odors. It has not been released in the market yet  but it may be there soon.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2011/jun/27/smell-o-vision-smells-sweet-san-diego-researcher/

Also, in 2001 DigiScents developed a computer device called The iSmell, which connects to a personal computer via USB. It was designed to emit a smell when a user visited a web site or opened an email.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/internet-odor1.htm

Moreover, Japanese researchers are working on a 3D television that lets viewers experience smells, to be released by 2020.  http://betanews.com/2005/08/19/3d-tv-with-touch-smell-by-2020/

These are few examples to make us ask ourselves the question: are we prepared for such a revolution, with its advantages and disadvantages?

As an Internet user, how would this feature change your surfing habits?
How would we utilize this feature in journalism?