Technobabble will increasingly become part of the general public’s vocabulary as more and more people use computers at their jobs and buy them for their homes.
Predictor: Barry, John
Prediction, in context:“Technobabble” author John Barry discusses telecommuting: ”Technobabble will increasingly become part of the general public’s vocabulary as more and more people use computers at their jobs and buy them for their homes. With the depletion of the world’s oil supply and the worsening nightmare of driving to work, more people will begin to engage in ‘telecommuting’: working from home by way of a computer, a communication program, and a phone line. That inevitable cultural change will put even more people in close contact with computer technology.”
Biography:John Barry was the author of the book “Technobabble” (MIT, 1991). He began working in the computer field in the late 1970s. While at InfoWorld magazine in the early 1980s, he started a column called “Computer Illiteracy,” in which he first explored the characteristics and consequences of technobabble, or techspeak. Later, at Sun Microsystems, he continued writing on the subject. (Author, Editor, Journalist.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1991
Topic of prediction: Economic structures
Subtopic: Telecommuting
Name of publication: Technobabble
Title, headline, chapter name: Now-Then
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 177
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Bizzell, Natalie