Books allowed complex theories to be disseminated, TV brought titillating images of sex and violence to the home, and the Net – well, the Net seems best at spreading controversy. The last few months have seen wave after wave of outrage sweep over the Net. First it was polemics about the Pentium flaw, then it was attacks on the patented GIF algorithm, now it’s debates about IP security holes. Sure, the strength of a many-to-many medium is that it allows for grass-roots organizing, but can’t it empower us to do something other than kvetch?
Predictor: Steinberg, Steve G.
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 article listing tech items and issues that are currently being hyped, Steve Steinberg of Wired magazine writes: ”Books allowed complex theories to be disseminated, TV brought titillating images of sex and violence to the home, and the Net – well, the Net seems best at spreading controversy. The last few months have seen wave after wave of outrage sweep over the Net. First it was polemics about the Pentium flaw, then it was attacks on the patented GIF algorithm, now it’s debates about IP security holes. Sure, the strength of a many-to-many medium is that it allows for grass-roots organizing, but can’t it empower us to do something other than kvetch?”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Community/Culture
Subtopic: General
Name of publication: Wired
Title, headline, chapter name: Hype List: High-Tech Outrage
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.04/hypelist.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney