The prediction, in brief:

We call it a Nightmarenothing between the underclass and the virtual class,No public control just virtual elites,Certainly no liberty for all just Newt and the boys in a perfect little techno-bubble clean, sterile and immunized from degrading American fleshGet wired, they sayGet deregulated and upgradedGet netted and vettedGet multi-tasked, demassified and bit-nettedGet backslashed, backtracked and backlitLet’s surf, merge, and purgeLeave behind the First and Second Waves and welcome the famous Third Wave.

Predictor: Kroker, Arthur

Prediction, in context:

A 1995 piece by Arthur and Marilouise Kroker, editors of CTheory, reflects on their views of the networked future. Here it is in its entirety:”Hacking the American Way?That’s Newt Gingrich’sA Magna Carta for the Knowledge Agewhere Newt and the boys wantto hack the futurethey want to tame it, train itand hack it for profitwhere Alvin Toffler wants his thirdwave to drown us outso he can go fishing incyberspace for’coaxial cables, dark fibre, and digital hardware’’It’s our turn,’ they all chantto download, upload, freeloadand explode what they call’Cyberspace and the New American Dream.’But we call it a Nightmarenothing between the underclassand the virtual class,No public controljust virtual elites,Certainly no liberty for alljust Newt and the boys in aperfect little techno-bubbleclean, sterile and immunizedfrom degrading American fleshGet wired, they sayGet deregulated and upgradedGet netted and vettedGet multi-tasked, demassified and bit-nettedGet backslashed, backtracked and backlitLet’s surf, merge, and purgeLeave behind the First and Second Wavesand welcome the famous Third Wave.”

Date of prediction: January 1, 1995

Topic of prediction: Community/Culture

Subtopic: General

Name of publication: CTheory

Title, headline, chapter name: The Third Right: Hacking the American Way

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.ctheory.net/text_file.asp?pick=146

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