Will the development of cyberspace precipitate a migration away from the crime-ridden big cities back to rural living, a trend which would greatly affect state and local planning? This is possible if people are able to send their children off each morning to a virtual school or university and then report to work in a virtual office where they interface with co-workers hundreds or even thousands of miles apart, then drop into a virtual shopping mall at lunchtime to handle their more elaborate shopping needs, get together with friends after work at a virtual cafe, and then download the news, book, television program or film of their choice to pass the evening hours.
Predictor: Harris, Blake
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 article for the journal Government Technology, Blake Harris takes a look at the future of the Internet. Harris writes: ”Will the development of cyberspace precipitate a migration away from the crime-ridden big cities back to rural living, a trend which would greatly affect state and local planning? This is possible if people are able to send their children off each morning to a virtual school or university and then report to work in a virtual office where they interface with co-workers hundreds or even thousands of miles apart, then drop into a virtual shopping mall at lunchtime to handle their more elaborate shopping needs, get together with friends after work at a virtual cafe, and then download the news, book, television program or film of their choice to pass the evening hours.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Community/Culture
Subtopic: Virtual Communities
Name of publication: Government Technology
Title, headline, chapter name: Cyberspace 2020
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
www.govtech.net/publications/gt/1995/oct/cyberspa.phtml
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney