Facilitating access to information on, for example, education and employment opportunities should benefit traditionally disadvantaged groups relatively more than their socioeconomically advantaged counterparts. It should have the effect of “leveling the playing field.” In addition, network access promises to facilitate organizational formation and restructuring. This is a particular benefit for nonprofit and community-based organizations that typically operate under severe human, financial, and technical resource constraints.
Predictor: Anderson, Robert H.
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 research paper published for the RAND Publications Database, Robert H. Anderson, Tora K. Bikson, Sally Ann Law, Bridger M. Mitchell, Christopher Kedzie, Brent Keltner, Constantijn Panis, Joel Pliskin, Padmanabhan Srinagesh write about the feasibility of universal access to e-mail: ”Facilitating access to information on, for example, education and employment opportunities should benefit traditionally disadvantaged groups relatively more than their socioeconomically advantaged counterparts. It should have the effect of ‘leveling the playing field.’ In addition, network access promises to facilitate organizational formation and restructuring. This is a particular benefit for nonprofit and community-based organizations that typically operate under severe human, financial, and technical resource constraints. Such organizations are starting to use electronic networks to share ideas, solve problems, conserve resources, and ultimately sustain viability. Moreover, electronic networks can facilitate citizen participation in the political process. Some individuals now use e-mail to contact government representatives, for instance. However, at this point we can only speculate about whether or not this trend will grow … The answer depends, in part, on how willing government agencies and representatives at varied administrative levels are to respond interactively in civic dialogs.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Communication
Subtopic: E-mail
Name of publication: Rand Publications Database
Title, headline, chapter name: Universal Access to E-mail: Feasibility and Societal Implications
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR650/mr650.ch5/ch5.html#ch5.h4
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney