When so much human content becomes available over the wires, we can convert their current concrete receptacles back into soil space. In this way, computers could promote deurbanization … No longer will towers of glass and steel house the most vital aspects of our economy – people will be rooted in their local communities while maintaining global presence.
Predictor: Hall, Justin Allyn
Prediction, in context:In this 1995 online essay, Justin Hall makes the statement: ”By offering rich communication and community prospects, computers will change the way we construct and inhabit our physical spaces. When so much human content becomes available over the wires, we can convert their current concrete receptacles back into soil space. In this way, computers could promote deurbanization. Many folks live in a city to be close to work. Otherwise, they live in outlying suburban communities and spend daily hours in commuter isolation. For the jobs of tomorrow, in the service sector, the home is the workplace. They already have a catchphrase for it – telecommuting … You can be near your kids, your pets, your garden, in the comfort of your own home, work on your computer and video teleconference to your meetings. Each office I have worked in has sucked up hours of my day. Dealing with other people’s crises, lounging by the coffee machine, pointless meetings, getting from one place to the other. Home working, the time you waste is your own, around your family and friends. Set your own schedule, in your own environment, no commuting. If we abandon the concept of the inner-city office workplace, we can begin to unpave this country. The ugliness and blight that is skyscrapers and highways can be stripped for houses and forestry. No longer will towers of glass and steel house the most vital aspects of our economy – people will be rooted in their local communities while maintaining global presence. Home cooking and home improvement; the family structure will be bolstered by the presence of parents, in communities of energized folk.”
Biography:Justin Hall worked briefly at Wired in 1994, during a sabbatical from his college days at Swarthmore. He started his own irreverent e-zine, covering diverse topics and providing links all over the Web. He later worked for ZDTV and Games.com and as a freelance journalist. (Advocate/Voice of the People.)
Date of prediction: July 21, 1995
Topic of prediction: Economic structures
Subtopic: Telecommuting
Name of publication: Links.net
Title, headline, chapter name: Computopia: Sharing Stories Humanizes Computer Connections
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.links.net/dox/tech/computopia.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Goodrich, Barbara J.