Mass media requires passivity while the Net resoundingly rejects it. This technology promotes decentralization. Force feeding the Net public heaping spoonfuls of what you think is tasty will fail – even if people have a choice of spoons. People want to talk to each other; if they are going to read something, they want it to be vibrant and heartfelt. Even now, large media has a hard time with both of those – in the future, on the Net, they will grow lifeless and useless faster than ever.
Predictor: Hall, Justin Allyn
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 speech he gave at a Rand Corporation-sponsored conference titled News Industries & Journalism: Preparing for 2010; New Directions for News, Justin Hall makes the following statement:”I am an example of personal publishing empowerment. As I sat down to frame my talk, I realized I have a pretty bleak message for large-scale publishers. Mass media requires passivity while the Net resoundingly rejects it. This technology promotes decentralization. Force feeding the Net public heaping spoonfuls of what you think is tasty will fail – even if people have a choice of spoons. People want to talk to each other; if they are going to read something, they want it to be vibrant and heartfelt. Even now, large media has a hard time with both of those – in the future, on the Net, they will grow lifeless and useless faster than ever.”
Biography:Justin Hall worked briefly at Wired in 1994, during a sabbatical from his college days at Swarthmore. He started his own irreverent e-zine, covering diverse topics and providing links all over the Web. He later worked for ZDTV and Games.com and as a freelance journalist. (Advocate/Voice of the People.)
Date of prediction: June 13, 1995
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: Journalism/Media
Name of publication: News Industries & Journalism: Preparing for 2010; New Directions for News
Title, headline, chapter name: Publishing Empowerment: Decentralizing Media for Human Potential
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.links.net/vita/speak/ndn/pubpower.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney