RMIT’s program director of network engineering, Mark Gregory, says socialising on the net will be instant and conducted in virtual environments.

Dr Gregory — also the chair of the Australian Electronic Numbering discussion group working with the Australian Communications and Media Authority — said the rapid development of technology would develop social environments and computer programs in 3D.

‘‘Snippets and blogs are all here but socialising is rapidly moving into a science fiction environment exactly like the 1975 Rollerball movie with James Caan when life was run by a computer screen.

‘‘Or perhaps we’ll be communicating in an environment like the holodeck in Star Trek.

‘‘It will meet the pace of technology that has developed televisions without remote controls, computers without mouses or keyboards.

‘‘The momentum has been incredible. Networking in cyberspace is a phenomenon which has changed the dynamics of socialising in only five years.

Dr Gregory said Facebook and MySpace would evolve to use the interactive systems.

‘‘The Japanese companies have developed interactive television-type screens, Google products have the XBox and there is an interactive Panasonic interactive television wall with video.’’