Computers enable people to be active participants in debate, rather than passive observers; this can breed a sense of engagement in place of alienation, advocates contend. Because electronic debates are conducted in writing, they can be more substantive than face-to-face confrontations. “Today’s issues are too complex for oral debate.”
Predictor: Hughes, Dave
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 article for Governing, Christopher Conte quotes Dave Hughes, one of the nation’s best-known online personalities at the time. Conte writes: ”Hughes runs a commercial electrionic bulletin board that also provides subscribers a link to the Internet. He believes that such bulletin boards – essentially computers where people can send messages and read those that others have posted – could combine the virtues of the Chautauqua and the New England town meeting in a modern setting, reviving debate in a public numbed by sound-byte politics and apathy. To understand his view, consider what distinguishes the information superhighway from earlier forms of communication. Computers enable people to be active participants in debate, rather than passive observers; this can breed a sense of engagement in place of alienation, advocates contend. Because electronic debates are conducted in writing, they can be more substantive than face-to-face confrontations. ‘Today’s issues,’ says Hughes, ‘are too complex for oral debate.'”
Biography:Dave Hughes created the first free, modem dial-up, electronic democracy bulletin-board system in the world. It soon challenged and altered the way local city-wide politics were conducted. It was colorfully named “Roger’s Bar.” Within five years the world’s press had beaten a path to Hughes’ home to report on, and encourage others to adopt an entirely new model of “electronic democracy” Ð a model that could be adopted in any small town in America. Wired magazine said he was the best-known personality on the Internet in 1993. Microtimes Magazine named Hughes one of the 100 most influential individuals in the Computer Age six times between 1990 and 1996. (Pioneer/Originator.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Community/Culture
Subtopic: MOOs/MUDs/B-Boards/Newsgroups
Name of publication: Governing Magazine
Title, headline, chapter name: Teledemocracy: For Better or Worse
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://firstsearch.oclc.org/WebZ/FSPage?pagename=ftascii:pagetype=print:entityprinting=true:entity/currecno=3:sessionid=sp02sw13-51432-dcclo9q5-oonjnt:entitypagenum=6:1
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Komorowski, Anne Gabrielle