"The Internet is a Fad"

I cant divulge where this quote came from but I can comment on it. There are still people/communities/societies that feel that the interactive medium we call the internet is a fad. It is just going to be here for a short time then "poof" it will go away as fast as it appeared. In some ways I feel that they are correct, but not in the same way that they mean "go away". I mean that the medium will evolve and become something different. We keep on hearing about the semantic web or web 3.0 an intelligent internet that understands you and caters the internet to you. I don't know how far this new frontier is but it will be interesting to say the least. As far as the internet being a fad, well to some people it is and it always will be one. There are companies that feel/felt burnt by the hundreds/thousands/millions they spent frivolously online and didn't get "anything" for it. They hope the internet is a fad because if it isn't then they will have to figure out a way to make the medium work for them. Yes, I know it is 2008 and internet spending is up double digit percent again and yes I saw that GM is going to spend over a billion online "some day soon". Even with that said there are companies out there that don't know how effective the medium is nor are they quantifying their spend. Companies that don't understand measurement and optimization, just spend and hope for the best. Eventually they too will hope the internet is a fad.