I suggest general computing may go the way the auto industry did. There was a time when my father was a young man (the 1950s) when you could build and modify cars any way you wanted (I am in Australia, your experience may be different). You had to have it approved to drive on the roads but it was relatively easy to do and lots of men had the skills and interest to do it. The last remnants of these skills are seen in the small number of people who build hotrods or modify 4x4's.
Government regulations since the 1980s have made this increasingly difficult. Auto repairers are no longer allowed to use second-hand parts for repairs to cars and entire panels must be replaced rather than filled, sanded and repainted. All modifications must have a private automotive engineer inspect work done and certify the quality. This is also expensive. Increasing safety regulations in new cars has made then more expensive and heavier.
I apologise for the automotive analogy, but computing may go the same way. 99% of people will just buy cheap off the shelf consumer devices to watch YouTube clips and use FaceBook. They will have no interest in using computers for anything else. People who want to "build" their own computers and modify or write custom software will go the way of back yard mechanics - they will be regarded with suspicion and seen as dangerous to the interests of society. They will be considered as subversives, or worse, libertarians ;)
And to tie back to cars again, governments will eventually mandate tracking devices in cars for charging a per kilometer/mile tax and mandate automated speed limiting will be enforced. Police (or the TSA in the US) will push for remote kill switches to be compulsory on the grounds that high speed chases are too dangerous. Remote door locking by the police to prevent escape will be included. Safety proponents will also lobby for fully automated cars that will not be allowed to be controlled by human drivers while on major roads and freeways/toll roads. Drivers who hack their cars to circumvent these controls will be criminals.
Today those who agitate against laws like SOPA are seen by governments as potential terrorists. Imagine the crazy laws against home-brew computer enthusiasts that will be proposed by the big content entities and bureaucrats pushing for the SOPA twenty years from now. Twenty years ago no one imagined the Patriot Act could have existed, but it does and is unlikely to ever be revoked.
Governments have no interest in having computer technology empowering society.
Again, sorry for diverging from the primary topic.