Perhaps the biggest short-term danger to the Net is the prospect of millions of newbies jumping on the boat so fired up by, uh, laudatory magazine articles that they confuse the promise with the current reality.
Predictor: Levy, Steven
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 article for Newsweek, authors Steven Levy, Katie Hafner and Roger Adams write:”The Internet still has some serious obstacles to overcome … Perhaps the biggest short-term danger to the Net is the prospect of millions of newbies jumping on the boat so fired up by, uh, laudatory magazine articles that they confuse the promise with the current reality. The former is a wonderland where setup is a breeze, Web pages load instantly, junk e-mail does not exist and you can buy any item imaginable with untraceable digital cash. The present-day reality is baffling to install, requires a love of staring at hour-glass shaped cursors and maybe lets you buy Monty Python jokes with an insecure credit-card transaction. Traveling the Net in these pioneer days is like a journey to a rugged, exotic destination – the pleasures are exquisite, but you need some stamina.”
Biography:Steven Levy was a 1990s technology journalist. He wrote on the topic for decades for such publications as Newsweek and Wired. He is the author of the books “Hackers,” “Artificial Life” and “Crypto.” (Author/Editor/Journalist.)
Date of prediction: December 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: General
Name of publication: Newsweek
Title, headline, chapter name: The Year of the Internet
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 26
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney