The prediction, in brief:

Interactive telecommunications now make it possible for tens of millions of widely dispersed citizens to receive the information they need to carry out the business of government themselves, gain admission to the political realm, and retrieve at least some of the power over their own lives and goods that many believe their elected leaders are squandering … The emergence of the electronic republic gives rise to the need for new thinking, new procedures, new policies, and even new political institutions to ensure that in the century ahead majoritarian impulses will not come at the expense of the rights and individuals and unpopular minorities.

Predictor: Grossman, Lawrence K.

Prediction, in context:

In his 1995 book “The Electronic Republic: Reshaping Democracy in the Information Age,” Lawrence Grossman, former president of NBC News and PBS, writes:”Interactive telecommunications now make it possible for tens of millions of widely dispersed citizens to receive the information they need to carry out the business of government themselves, gain admission to the political realm, and retrieve at least some of the power over their own lives and goods that many believe their elected leaders are squandering … The emergence of the electronic republic gives rise to the need for new thinking, new procedures, new policies, and even new political institutions to ensure that in the century ahead majoritarian impulses will not come at the expense of the rights and individuals and unpopular minorities.”

Biography:

Lawrence Grossman wrote the book “The Electronic Republic: Reshaping Democracy in an Information Age” (Penguin, 1995). The former executive at NBC and PBS urged people to realize that digital communications had altered how things can and should be done. (Author/Editor/Journalist.)

Date of prediction: January 1, 1995

Topic of prediction: Global Relationships/Politics

Subtopic: Democracy

Name of publication: The Electronic Republic (book)

Title, headline, chapter name: Introduction

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 6

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