What we’re seeing now is something called the armoured cocoon, where people are just too scared to go out into their neighborhoods or to the mall, so they invest in expensive security and the outside world comes to them. All services are based around home delivery, the Internet plays a huge part in the armoured cocoon and with the rise of cybertechnology, fewer people are going to want to leave their homes when they can have more fun in cyberspace – I’m sure that some people will live “out there” all the time.
Predictor: Popcorn, Faith
Prediction, in context:Faith Popcorn, futurist and founder and CEO of Brainreserve, New York, is quoted in a 1995 article on the future in The London Independent: ”In America we’re going to see the whole corporate structure completely overturned as more and more people start to cash out. Employees are starting to ask themselves: ‘Why should I spend 10 or 20 years of my life working with people I don’t like, respect or trust?’ So when they cash out they’re going to be looking to work from home or perhaps from a small office in their neighborhood with friends or members of their family. What these people want is more control over their lives, more agreeable working conditions and a general sense of happiness in what they’re doing … I started talking about cocooning way back in the early ’80s, when I predicted that people didn’t want to go out to clubs and restaurants anymore but were more interested in staying home. What we’re seeing now is something called the armoured cocoon, where people are just too scared to go out into their neighborhoods or to the mall, so they invest in expensive security and the outside world comes to them. All services are based around home delivery, the Internet plays a huge part in the armoured cocoon and with the rise of cybertechnology, fewer people are going to want to leave their homes when they can have more fun in cyberspace – I’m sure that some people will live ‘out there’ all the time.”
Biography:Faith Popcorn, a futurist, is the author or co-author of many books including “The Popcorn Report: Faith Popcorn on the Future of Your Company, Your World, Your Life” (Harper Business, 1992). (Futurist/Consultant.)
Date of prediction: December 31, 1995
Topic of prediction: Community/Culture
Subtopic: Social Withdrawal/Addiction
Name of publication: Independent (London)
Title, headline, chapter name: Log On, Stay in, Cash Out: Are You Ready for the 21st Century?
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_m=75369c9d034b9fd48abc514868e18109&_docnum=1&wchp=dGLbVlz-lSlzV&_md5=2c6e31616e45d7bfd6a52297522d9da5
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Sampson, Melanie B.