The prediction, in brief:

With the electronic town meeting via television, computer, or some synthesis of both, citizens are offered direct contact with public officials, unmediated by journalists. The idea is to force politicians and the media to talk to the public about important issues that might otherwise escape the political agenda. Combines with televoting, the electronic town meeting offers a potentially significant improvement on the ballot referendum or traditional telephone poll, both of which are poor at fostering deliberation and thus lead to uninformed voting.

Predictor: Snider, James

Prediction, in context:

The 1995 book “The Information Revolution,” edited by Donald Altschiller, carries a reprint of the 1994, The Futurist article “Democracy On-line” by James H. Snider. Snider speculates on the electronic town meeting, a possibility in the near future. He writes:”New technology … facilitates previously impractical forms of democratic deliberation. With the electronic town meeting via television, computer, or some synthesis of both, citizens are offered direct contact with public officials, unmediated by journalists. The idea is to force politicians and the media to talk to the public about important issues that might otherwise escape the political agenda. Combines with televoting, the electronic town meeting offers a potentially significant improvement on the ballot referendum or traditional telephone poll, both of which are poor at fostering deliberation and thus lead to uninformed voting.”

Date of prediction: January 1, 1994

Topic of prediction: Global Relationships/Politics

Subtopic: Campaigns/Voting

Name of publication: The Information Revolution (book)

Title, headline, chapter name: Democracy On-line

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 188

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne