The prediction, in brief:

Perhaps the party system could be abolished … Already the growth of the television over the last few decades has seriously diminished the power of the parties. This trend toward weakened parties is likely to continue as a result of the emerging information infrastructure and the new agent-based media it engenders. A logical implication is to institutionalize the growing powers of the media over the nominating system. For example, an electoral agents’ association could set dates and criteria for nominations – something the media currently do in a much less democratic way with so-called ‘hidden’ nominations. The hidden nomination is the process, most pronounced in presidential primaries, whereby the media anoint a handful of candidates as serious contenders.

Predictor: Snider, James

Prediction, in context:

The 1995 book “The Information Revolution,” edited by Donald Altschiller, carries a reprint of the 1994, The Futurist article “Democracy On-line” by James H. Snider. Snider speculates on the electronic town meeting, a possibility in the near future. He writes:”Perhaps the party system could be abolished … Already the growth of the television over the last few decades has seriously diminished the power of the parties. This trend toward weakened parties is likely to continue as a result of the emerging information infrastructure and the new agent-based media it engenders. A logical implication is to institutionalize the growing powers of the media over the nominating system. For example, an electoral agents’ association could set dates and criteria for nominations – something the media currently do in a much less democratic way with so-called ‘hidden’ nominations. The hidden nomination is the process, most pronounced in presidential primaries, whereby the media anoint a handful of candidates as serious contenders.”

Date of prediction: January 1, 1994

Topic of prediction: Global Relationships/Politics

Subtopic: Campaigns/Voting

Name of publication: The Information Revolution (book)

Title, headline, chapter name: Democracy On-line

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 192

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne