Mental entrapment without physical interaction undermines social relationships, and the disorder seems to be gender-specific. We’re fostering a wave of computer widows.
Predictor: Stoll, Clifford
Prediction, in context:In his 1995 book “Silicon Snake Oil,” writer Clifford Stoll shares his take on the Internet’s future implications:”Electronic communication is an instantaneous and illusory contact that creates a sense of intimacy without the emotional investment that leads to close friendships … Jenny Frost is an audio producer in New York – she described how her husband got tangled up with his modem … ‘Inside of two months he was spending evenings on the bulletin boards, chatting with others, learning the intricacies of his computer game [Myst],’ she told me. ‘That $50 computer game ballooned into a $400 network bill. But that’s not as bad as my friend David,’ Jenny continued. ‘He’d been doing great with his wife until he began spending three hours each night connected to the network. She’s not a mean woman, but she felt him ignoring her. It became the pivotal rift in their marriage.’ Is this why we promote universal connections around the country? The mental entrapment without physical interaction undermines social relationships, and the disorder seems to be gender-specific. We’re fostering a wave of computer widows.”
Biography:Clifford Stoll was an astrophysicist who also wrote the influential books “Silicon Snake Oil” (1995) and “The Cuckoo’s Egg.” A long-time network user, Stoll made “Silicon Snake Oil” his platform for finding fault with the Internet hype of the early 1990s. He pointed out the pitfalls of a completely networked society and offered arguments in opposition to the hype. (Author/Editor/Journalist.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Community/Culture
Subtopic: Social Withdrawal/Addiction
Name of publication: Silicon Snake Oil
Title, headline, chapter name: An Amalgam of Popular Fictions About the Internet, Including Brief Trips to China and The City of No Illusions
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Pages 24, 25
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Tencer, Elizabeth L.