Teledemocracy is unlikely to cure America’s severe turnout problem, let alone lead to a transformation of the political system.
Predictor: Forester, Tom
Prediction, in context:The 1997 book “Computers, Ethics, and Society,” edited by M. David Ermann, Mary B. Williams and Michele S. Shauf, carries the 1992 article “Megatrends or Megamistakes” by Tom Forester. Forester argues that the information revolution did not have the profound effects that were predicted. He writes: ”Suggestions by, for example, Toffler, Naisbitt and Williams that the IT revolution would lead to ‘push-button voting’, to the holding of ‘electronic town meetings’ and the creation of a ‘tele-democracy’ have proved to be wide of the mark. Despite increased access to information and communications technologies, electoral turnout in the U.S. and most other Western democracies continues to decline. Arterton (1987) looked at 13 major ‘teledemocracy’ experiments in the U.S .and found that their impact on political participation levels was only marginal because of the powerful forces working against increased involvement – chiefly the fact that people are so bombarded with media messages that they actually absorb less and less. Teledemocracy is unlikely to cure America’s severe turnout problem, let alone lead to a transformation of the political system.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1992
Topic of prediction: Global Relationships/Politics
Subtopic: Campaigns/Voting
Name of publication: Computers, Ethics, and Society (book)
Title, headline, chapter name: Whatever Happened to the Information Revolution in the Workplace?
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 202
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne