Instead of an Internet-inspired renaissance, mediocre writing and poorly thought-out arguments roll into my modem. E-mail and postings to network newsgroups are frequently ungrammatical, misspelled and poorly organized … Computers encourage specialized expertise, like running programs or connecting to networks, at the expense of general skills, like organizing coherent sentences, gathering thoughts together, developing vocabulary or toying with ideas.
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:”The Internet should be a garden for literate, well-trained users to take advantage of a new mode of communications. In addition, networks will help our schools by supplying creative software and instructional classroom materials. The result should be the honing of literary skills and a new wave of creative literature. But instead of an Internet-inspired renaissance, mediocre writing and poorly thought-out arguments roll into my modem. E-mail and postings to network newsgroups are frequently ungrammatical, misspelled and poorly organized … Computers encourage specialized expertise, like running programs or connecting to networks, at the expense of general skills, like organizing coherent sentences, gathering thoughts together, developing vocabulary or toying with ideas.”
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: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: E-learning
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 25-26
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Tencer, Elizabeth L.