The prediction, in brief:

For all the glitter and gold out there on the frontier, there is, existing simultaneously, a sinister side to cyberspace. It is an aspect of life that every community, whether real or virtual, has to deal with. So even as we look to the network and to the first colonies on the electronic frontier to empower human beings with the tools of the Information Age, to improve people’s lives, and to provide entertainment and enjoyment, the potential for harm in the networked community may become more than a “virtual reality”; it may become a real reality.

Predictor: Markey, Edward

Prediction, in context:

In a 1993 speech he delivered for the CSTB strategic forum, Edward Markey, chairman of the U.S. House subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance, says:”This technological transition or convergence is leading inexorably toward the creation of a new mega-industry: the information industry … Whether the ‘console community’ that is developing in cyberspace is one of enjoyment and wonder or the potential domain of digital derelicts who may pillage our community with acts of ‘electronic wilding’ is the question Robert Kennedy would ask today. We all have to remain cognizant of the fact that for all the glitter and gold out there on the frontier, there is, existing simultaneously, a sinister side to cyberspace. It is an aspect of life that every community, whether real or virtual, has to deal with. So even as we look to the network and to the first colonies on the electronic frontier to empower human beings with the tools of the Information Age, to improve people’s lives, and to provide entertainment and enjoyment, the potential for harm in the networked community may become more than a ‘virtual reality’; it may become a real reality.”

Date of prediction: February 18, 1993

Topic of prediction: Community/Culture

Subtopic: General

Name of publication: Rights and Responsibilities of Participants in Networked Communities

Title, headline, chapter name: Keynote Speech: Networked Communities and the Laws of Cyberspace

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://bob.nap.edu/html/rights/contents/appendixd.html

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Garrison, Betty