By removing the link between advertising and access to the media and by subsidizing community groups to create voices at the grassroots level, the social spaces needed for a vibrant, egalitarian, public sphere could be greatly enlarged. Individuals would more easily understand their world, their connection to their community, and the government and corporate actions that shape their lives.
Predictor: Monberg, John
Prediction, in context:In a 1994 article for Computer-Mediated Communication magazine, John Monberg, a graduate student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, writes: ”Limited public investment and direction will create a national information infrastructure that is functionally equivalent to an electronic shopping mall. It is technically possible to create a vital, participatory public sphere, but it would require sustained commitment, vision, and investment. By removing the link between advertising and access to the media and by subsidizing community groups to create voices at the grassroots level, the social spaces needed for a vibrant, egalitarian, public sphere could be greatly enlarged. Individuals would more easily understand their world, their connection to their community, and the government and corporate actions that shape their lives.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1994
Topic of prediction: Information Infrastructure
Subtopic: Open Access
Name of publication: Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine
Title, headline, chapter name: Welcome to the Emerald City! Please Ignore the Man Behind the Curtain
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1994/nov/emerald.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney