The prediction, in brief:

In the 19th century, utopians built communities in which political thought could be lived out as practice. On the cusp of the 21st century, we are building MUDs, possible worlds that can provoke a new critical discourse about the real.

Predictor: Turkle, Sherry

Prediction, in context:

In her 1995 book “Life on the Screen,” Sherry Turkle – an accomplished social psychologist, sociologist and anthropologist from MIT whose studies centered around people and computers for decades – writes:”Participants in Habitat [a MUD] were seeing themselves as citizens; and they were spending their leisure time debating pacifism, the nature of good government, and the relationship between representations and reality. In the 19th century, utopians built communities in which political thought could be lived out as practice. On the cusp of the 21st century, we are building MUDs, possible worlds that can provoke a new critical discourse about the real.”

Biography:

Sherry Turkle was the author of “Life on the Screen: Computers and the Human Spirit.” and a professor of the psychology of science at MIT. (Research Scientist/Illuminator.)

Date of prediction: January 1, 1995

Topic of prediction: Community/Culture

Subtopic: MOOs/MUDs/B-Boards/Newsgroups

Name of publication: Life on the Screen (book)

Title, headline, chapter name: Chapter 9: Virtuality and its Discontents

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 250

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney