Elon University
The prediction, in brief:

Is the American democracy, then, on the verge of some critical, evolutionary, Internet-inspired transformation? … Imperfect as it is, there is logic behind the idea of representative democracy, and the only way to really budge Washington would be if we all showed up one morning with our yellow bulldozers.

Predictor: Moore, Dinty W.

Prediction, in context:

In the 1995 book “The Emperor’s New Clothes: The Naked Truth About the Internet Culture,” author Dinty Moore writes: ”Is the American democracy, then, on the verge of some critical, evolutionary, Internet-inspired transformation? Will the entrenched Washington bureaucracy and the unrepresentative representatives go away with the push of a button that allows us to all vote at home, by computer, having our say on every bill, every amendment, every last federal initiative? Well, to be honest, I didn’t find that … Imperfect as it is, there is logic behind the idea of representative democracy, and the only way to really budge Washington would be if we all showed up one morning with our yellow bulldozers. And even then, who would get the federal contract to rebuild? Someone has to decide.

Date of prediction: January 1, 1995

Topic of prediction: Global Relationships/Politics

Subtopic: Democracy

Name of publication: The Emperor's Virtual Clothes: The Naked Truth about Internet Culture

Title, headline, chapter name: Big Brother and the Bad Boys: The Dark Side of the Net.

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Pages 198, 199

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