The prediction, in brief:

Brin envisions a global computer network teeming with viruses both lethal and benign. The Net becomes the key medium for both community and commerce. If an Emilypost virus were to monitor civility, why not a Coca-Cola virus circulating through the Net and attaching itself to any program using the phrase “The Real Thing?” How about a Miller Lite virus that sneaks into any video image of bronzed yuppies frolicking on the summer beach? … Of course, it would be nothing short of an art to design ad viruses that were just appealing enough to be noticed and remembered, but never so intrusive as to be obnoxious and alienating.

Predictor: Schrage, Michael

Prediction, in context:

In a 1994 article about advertising in the digital age for Wired magazine, Michael Schrage, an MIT Media Lab fellow and columnist for Adweek magazine, writes:”David Brin’s delightfully prescient cyberpunk novel ‘Earth’ describes something called a ‘courtesy worm.’ ‘It is a guerrilla program – an illegal virus – that goes around targeting people who are too angry and vituperative on the Net … the worm gets into the flamers’ system and announces, “Hello. You have been infected by the program Emilypost because your presence on the Net is impinging upon the rights and enjoyment of others. If you’ll check your credibility ratings, sir, you would soon realize that nobody is listening to you anyway… “‘ Brin envisions a global computer network teeming with viruses both lethal and benign. The Net becomes the key medium for both community and commerce. If an Emilypost virus were to monitor civility, why not a Coca-Cola virus circulating through the Net and attaching itself to any program using the phrase ‘The Real Thing?’ How about a Miller Lite virus that sneaks into any video image of bronzed yuppies frolicking on the summer beach? … Think of these ad viruses as the digital counterparts to ‘product placements’ in TV and the movies. If the Reese’s Pieces folks were prepared to pay big bucks to be E.T.’s favorite snack, doesn’t it make sense that the candy companies could be prepared to smuggle software simulacra of their products to be props in tomorrow’s high-bandwidth computer nets? Of course, it would be nothing short of an art to design ad viruses that were just appealing enough to be noticed and remembered, but never so intrusive as to be obnoxious and alienating. If that ubiquitous Ronald McDonald advirus on all the kid’s programming gets too annoying, then the kiddies – or their parents – will stop patronizing the Golden Arches.”

Date of prediction: January 1, 1994

Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information

Subtopic: Advertising/PR

Name of publication: Wired

Title, headline, chapter name: Is Advertising Dead? Adviruses, digimercials and memegraphics: The Future of Advertising is the Future of Media

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.02/advertising_pr.html

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