In the long run, networking technology will provide more power and opportunity for the creators of information, e.g., authors, writers, etc. The role and function of distribution will be a much smaller part of the total cost than it is today.
Predictor: Hiltz, Starr Roxanne
Prediction, in context:In a 1992 paper they presented at a workshop titled “Rights and Responsibilities of Participants in Networked Communities” for the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Research Council, researchers Starr Roxanne Hiltz and Murray Turoff say:”In the long run, networking technology will provide more power and opportunity for the creators of information, e.g., authors, writers, etc. The role and function of distribution will be a much smaller part of the total cost than it is today. The search capabilities of computers will also make advertisement a less important component of the sales process. The situation is similar to that for the energy industry a decade ago. At that time it was impossible for small energy providers to gain access to the energy grids operated by the major utility companies. The costs of connecting a small computer to a national network are today prohibitive for trying to provide an information service for a few hundred individuals. This is due more to access and pricing policies than to any justification based upon the real cost of the technology. Digital communications capacity will always be a scarce resource in that there will always be new applications to take advantage of additional capacity and lower prices. The serious issue for the society is equality of access to communications capacity without regard to financial inequalities.”
Biography:Starr Roxanne Hiltz, the co-author of a seminal book about the electronic frontier, “The Network Nation: Human Communication Via Computer” (MIT Press), was a professor of computer and information science at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the author of many Internet research studies. In 1994, Hiltz received the “Pioneer Award” from the Electronic Frontier Foundation for her “significant and influential contributions to computer-based communications and to the empowerment of individuals using computers.” She was among the first to note that computer conferencing could form the basis of new kinds of communities. (Research Scientist/Illuminator.)
Date of prediction: November 1, 1992
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: Publishing
Name of publication: Rights and Responsibilities of Participants in Networked CommunitiesComputer science and Telecommunications BoardNational Research Council (NRC)
Title, headline, chapter name: A Normative View of Networking Applications
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://web.njit.edu/~turoff/Papers/dcgov.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney