That’s the thing about cyberspace. It’s the last frontier and it will be a permanent frontier. It’s infinite and it’s continuously changing.
Predictor: Barlow, John Perry
Prediction, in context:In a 1994 article for Computer-Mediated Communication magazine, Stephen Doheny-Ferina refers to a New York Times article written by John Markoff in which John Perry Barlow, a founder of Electric Frontier Foundation, is quoted. Doheny-Ferina writes: ”A recent New York Times piece by John Markoff shows how electronic communication is eliminating the possibility of anyone getting lost anywhere. After describing the case of a hiker using a cellular phone to call in sick to an office in Manhattan while standing atop one of the Adirondack High Peaks, Markoff suggests that as the natural frontier is closed a new, virtual frontier has opened. He quotes John Perry Barlow, one of the founders of the Electronic Freedom Foundation, an organization that promotes citizens’ rights in cyberspace. ‘That’s the thing about cyberspace,’ notes Barlow. ‘It’s the last frontier and it will be a permanent frontier. It’s infinite and it’s continuously changing.'”
Biography:John Perry Barlow helped found the Electronic Frontier Foundation in 1990 with WELL (Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link) members Mitch Kapor and John Gilmore in direct response to a threat to free speech. Barlow’s was one of the loudest voices in the battle to keep the Internet unfettered while still encouraging that it become a tool available to everyone. (Advocate/Voice of the People.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1994
Topic of prediction: General, Overarching Remarks
Subtopic: General
Name of publication: Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine
Title, headline, chapter name: The Last Link: Cybernauts in the Electronic Frontier: Pets on a Leash
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1994/nov/last.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Walsh, Meghan