Like all middlemen in the new electronic world, political representatives will have to justify themselves. The information highway will put the spotlight on them as never before. Instead of being given photos and sounds bites, voters will be able to get a much more direct sense of what their representatives are doing and how they’re voting. The day a senator receives a million pieces of e-mail on a topic or is able to have his beeper announce the results of a real-time opinion poll from his constituents is not far away.
Predictor: Gates, Bill
Prediction, in context:In his 1995 book “The Road Ahead,” Microsoft CEO Bill Gates writes: ”Like all middlemen in the new electronic world, political representatives will have to justify themselves. The information highway will put the spotlight on them as never before. Instead of being given photos and sounds bites, voters will be able to get a much more direct sense of what their representatives are doing and how they’re voting. The day a senator receives a million pieces of e-mail on a topic or is able to have his beeper announce the results of a real-time opinion poll from his constituents is not far away.”
Biography:Bill Gates, the most influential technology entrepreneur of the late 20th century, was the primary author of the prediction-packed 1995 book “The Road Ahead” and is the founder and CEO of Microsoft Corporation. (Entrepreneur/Business Leader.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Global Relationships/Politics
Subtopic: Campaigns/Voting
Name of publication: The Road Ahead (book)
Title, headline, chapter name: Chapter 12: Critical Issues
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 272
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne