The prediction, in brief:

Culturally, we may lose touch with the mainstream. There may be no more mainstream. Politically, we may find ourselves detached from the dialogue. Right now, the president can talk over all three networks to us at the same time. With 500 video channels, that won’t be so easy.

Predictor: Brown, Les

Prediction, in context:

In a 1995 article for The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Marcia Stepanek of Hearst Newspapers interviews scholars about their views of the expected impact of communications networks, quoting author Les Brown. Stepanek writes:”What are the consequences of being unbound from the old network-centered television and mainstream press [in a wide-open, information-packed digital future]? ‘Culturally, we may lose touch with the mainstream,’ says author Les Brown. ‘There may be no more mainstream. Politically, we may find ourselves detached from the dialogue. Right now, the president can talk over all three networks to us at the same time. With 500 video channels, that won’t be so easy.'”

Date of prediction: January 1, 1995

Topic of prediction: Community/Culture

Subtopic: General

Name of publication: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Title, headline, chapter name: Scholars Try to Measure the Impact

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_m=a2da499fc860f603f890270e01d5c693&_docnum=1&wchp=dGLbVtb-lSlAl&_md5=c06b25b68e8d45fca948131279df77d3

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Garrison, Betty