Many people just won’t involve themselves in the public Net at all. They will stay away from Usenet and stay away from new models of public discussions that will follow Usenet, such as large-scale public MUDs. They’ll sail through cyberspace in little capsules with hard encryption-generated shells, like they were driving through a dangerous neighborhood with the car windows rolled up.
Predictor: Rose, Lance
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 essay for ISPworld, Internet law expert Lance Rose comments about the expected crush of newbies on the Net and how they will influence Internet activity. Calling the crush “noise,” Rose writes: ”How will we deal with all that noise? Many people just won’t involve themselves in the public Net at all. They will stay away from Usenet and stay away from new models of public discussions that will follow Usenet, such as large-scale public MUDs. They’ll sail through cyberspace in little capsules with hard encryption-generated shells, like they were driving through a dangerous neighborhood with the car windows rolled up. Others will dive into the mayhem of the public space, reveling in the action and unpredictability. There will be ‘street’ social structures, ‘street’ art and ‘street’ business on the Net. The business opportunities on a wild public Net are probably enormous, though impossible to predict right now. What will be the killer business of the public Net? How about online tattoo parlors, where skilled artists will ad beautiful images or features to the icon or three-dimensional image you present to others as you travel through the Net?”
Biography:Lance Rose, a lawyer, earned a high profile for his expertise in Internet issues in the 1990s. He wrote “Netlaw: Your Rights in the Online World” (1995). (Legislator/Politician/Lawyer.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Community/Culture
Subtopic: Virtual Communities
Name of publication: ISPworld
Title, headline, chapter name: Legally Online: Noise and the Public Net
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.boardwatch.com/boardwatchOnline/1995/jan95/bwm44.htm
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney