The prediction, in brief:

The coming of a global, technologically-mediated culture means that the boundaries we have been using to define our allegiances – national, religious, cultural – will break down. The greatest enemy to any fundamentalist regime is media, because media acts like water, slowly eroding ideological barricades. Meanwhile, individualists fear the coming of a monoculture, as iconography from the West washes over the unique landscapes of particular regions, while integrationists fear that 500 separate channels of cable television and hundreds of thousands of Internet Newsgroups will break up our world into isolated segments of like-minded individuals … Neither nightmare need occur … I see human culture becoming like a biological culture … where many individuals link together for common purpose, and where this linking … augments each member’s ability to influence the organism.

Predictor: Rushkoff, Douglas

Prediction, in context:

In a 1995 essay for New Perspectives Quarterly titled “Coral Reef Culture,” Douglas Rushkoff writes:”The coming of a global, technologically-mediated culture means that the boundaries we have been using to define our allegiances – national, religious, cultural – will break down. The greatest enemy to any fundamentalist regime is media, because media acts like water, slowly eroding ideological barricades. Meanwhile, individualists fear the coming of a monoculture, as iconography from the West washes over the unique landscapes of particular regions, while integrationists fear that 500 separate channels of cable television and hundreds of thousands of Internet Newsgroups will break up our world into isolated segments of like-minded individuals. As I see it, neither nightmare need occur. Instead, culture will move into a much more natural state, and become more ‘chaotic’ in appearance, but more organic,’phase-locked,’ and responsive overall. I see human culture becoming like a biological culture – for example, a coral reef – where many individuals link together for common purpose, and where this linking doesn’t sacrifice, but rather augments each member’s ability to influence the organism.”

Biography:

Douglas Rushkoff, an author, social theorist, journalist and software developer, wrote the book “Cyberia: Life in the Trenches of Hyperspace,” (Harper San Francisco, 1994) a best-selling portrait of the 1990s cyberculture. He edited “The Gen X Reader” (Ballantine, 1994), a collection of writings by the elusive, media-wary “slacker” generation. He also wrote “Media Virus! Hidden Agendas in Popular Culture” (Ballantine, 1994). In the 1990s, he regularly contributed features about pop-culture, media and technology to magazines. (Author/Editor/Journalist.)

Date of prediction: January 1, 1995

Topic of prediction: Global Relationships/Politics

Subtopic: General

Name of publication: New Perspectives Quarterly

Title, headline, chapter name: Coral Reef Culture

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Vol. 12, Issue 4, Page 28ISSN: 08937850

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Stewart, Ben L.