By changing radically the balance of power between the distributors of culture and the receivers of culture, the teleputer [networked computer] will forever break the broadcast bottleneck. Potentially, there will be as many “channels” as there are computers connected to the global network. In essence, this means one channel for each person, which he himself programs and controls and which always offers his very first choice … Artists will be able to command a large audience without catering to lowest-common-denominator tastes.
Predictor: Gilder, George
Prediction, in context:In a 1994 article he wrote for National Review, George Gilder, a fellow of the Discovery Institute in Seattle and author of “Life After Television,” expounds on his views of future communications. He writes:”Any mass-media or broadcasting regime rides an inexorable gradient toward the gutter. But by changing radically the balance of power between the distributors of culture and the receivers of culture, the teleputer [networked computer] will forever break the broadcast bottleneck. Potentially, there will be as many ‘channels’ as there are computers connected to the global network. In essence, this means one channel for each person, which he himself programs and controls and which always offers his very first choice. The creator of a program on a specialized subject – from Canaletto’s art to chaos theory, from GM car transmission repair to cowboy poetry, from Szechaun restaurant finance to C++ computer codes – will be able to reach everyone in the industrialized world who shares the interest. Artists will be able to command a large audience without catering to lowest-common-denominator tastes.”
Biography:George Gilder was a pioneer the formulation of the theory of supply-side economics. In his major book “Microcosm” (1989), he explored the quantum roots of the new electronic technologies. His book “Life After Television,” published by W.W. Norton (1992), is a prophecy of computers and telecommunications displacing the broadcast-TV empire. He followed it with another classic, “Telecosm.” (Futurist/Consultant.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1994
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: General
Name of publication: National Review
Title, headline, chapter name: Net Gains: Information, Technology & Culture; Breaking the Box
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Pages 37-43
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney