At parties, I’ll scan the people: “not interesting, not interesting.” Which is awful – sort of looking over their shoulders for the next person who might add value. It’s a terrible, terrible thing to do … There’s a lack of depth and context and continuity in a lot of my face-to-face relationships. I think the whole quality of human interaction is changing.
Predictor: Basch, Reva
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 article for Wired magazine, John Whalen interviews Reva Basch, author of “Secrets of the Super Searchers” and a professional independent searcher, an information-age librarian who data-surfs for clients, seeking out specific information. After he asks, “How will living and interacting online warp our cognition and perhaps change the way we interact offline? Whalen quotes Basch saying:”[Consuming so much information can be an overload] I notice it in particular when I read for pleasure. I just can’t keep my eyes still. I have to remind myself to slow down and say, ‘Hey, you’re reading for style, not content, stop browsing, start reading.’ It does have an accelerating effect on life. At parties, I’ll scan the people: ‘not interesting, not interesting.’ Which is awful – sort of looking over their shoulders for the next person who might add value. It’s a terrible, terrible thing to do. I’ll tell you something else I’ve discovered – I am less and less satisfied with superficial social connections. Online, especially on The Well, you really get into it, perhaps because of the conferencing software; there is one deep, deep conversation devoted to a particular issue. I find that affects my relationships with offline friends, especially people I haven’t seen for a while. There’s a lack of depth and context and continuity in a lot of my face-to-face relationships. I think the whole quality of human interaction is changing.”
Biography:Reva Basch became a professional independent “searcher” in the 1990s, seeking out specific information online for clients. She also wrote the book “Secrets of the Super Searchers.” (Entrepreneur/Business Leader.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: General
Name of publication: Wired
Title, headline, chapter name: Super Searcher: Cybrarian Reva Basch is the Ultimate Intelligent Agent
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.05/searcher_pr.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney