We should not mistake a desire for communities of interest with a hope for a more just and egalitarian society … virtual communities can foster anomie … because virtual communities are likely to be private communities of interest, they will not readily or serendipitously be exposed to differing views that will help them and the larger society grow and adapt to a changing world.
Predictor: Fernback, Jan
Prediction, in context:A paper titled “Computer-Mediated Communication and the American Collectivity: The Dimensions of Community Within Cyberspace,” by Jan Fernback and Brad Thompson, was presented at the annual convention of the International Communication Association, Albuquerque, N.M., May 1995. It was reprinted in full form on Howard Rheingold’s Web site. This is an excerpt: ”We should not mistake a desire for communities of interest with a hope for a more just and egalitarian society … virtual communities can foster anomie … because virtual communities are likely to be private communities of interest, they will not readily or serendipitously be exposed to differing views that will help them and the larger society grow and adapt to a changing world.”
Date of prediction: May 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Community/Culture
Subtopic: Virtual Communities
Name of publication: Rheingold.com
Title, headline, chapter name: Virtual Communities: Abort, Retry, Failure?
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.rheingold.com/texts/techpolitix/VCcivil.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney