The Internet opens up lines of communication with persons who might not otherwise contact their representatives. It saves taxpayers time and money by allowing correspondence to take place electronically, bypassing the cost of stamps and paper and the time necessary to go through the postal service. My hope for the future is that access to the Internet continues to spread to every classroom, university, home and office. It truly is the wave of the future and California must seize this opportunity to stay in the forefront of the revolution.
Predictor: Leonard, Bill
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 article for by an unknown author in California Journal Weekly, the limited use of e-mail outside the research community is much in evidence. In 1995, 11 state senators in the high-tech state of California had e-mail addresses and were labeled “cybersenators.” The article says: ”Although the volume of e-mail is still small compared to regular mail (or ‘snail mail,’ as Internet aficionados call it) and phone calls, it is sure to grow. ‘The Internet opens up lines of communication with persons who might not otherwise contact their representatives,’ e-mails Sen. Henry Mello (D-Gilroy). “It saves taxpayers time and money by allowing correspondence to take place electronically, bypassing the cost of stamps and paper and the time necessary to go through the postal service.” One problem with e-mail, however, is that senators can’t tell if they are receiving them from constituents since they are not postmarked with a physical place the same way as regular mail. ‘Many messages contain only the Internet address or a first name, all of which makes it difficult to determine to whom one has the honor of corresponding,’ e-mails Sen. Tom Campbell (R-Los Altos). But these little kinks don’t dampen the enthusiasm cybersenators have for the Internet. ‘My hope for the future is that access to the Internet continues to spread to every classroom, university, home and office,’ enthuses Sen. Bill Leonard (R-Upland). ‘It truly is the wave of the future and California must seize this opportunity to stay in the forefront of the revolution.'”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Communication
Subtopic: E-mail
Name of publication: California Journal Weekly
Title, headline, chapter name: Senate Heads for Cyberspace
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Lexis-Nexis
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney