Imagining the internet : personalities, predictions, perspectives / Janna Quitney Anderson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Anderson, Janna Quitney, 1955-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Internet--Social aspects--Forecasting.

Internet.

Internet--Public opinion--History.

Information technology--Social aspects--Forecasting.

Information technology.

Computer networks--Social aspects--Forecasting.

Computer networks.

Forecasting--History--20th century.

Forecasting.

History.

Computer networks--Social aspects.

Information technology--Social aspects.

Public opinion.

Internet--Social aspects.

Physical Description:

xi, 307 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield, [2005]

Summary:

In the early 1990s, people predicted the death of privacy, an end to the current concept of "property," a paperless society, 500 channels of high-definition interactive television, world peace, and the extinction of the human race after a takeover engineered by intelligent machines. Imagining the Internet zeroes in on predictions about the Internet's future and revisits past predictions-and how they turned out-to put that imagined future in perspective. It gives the history of communications in a nutshell, illustrating the serious impact of pervasive networks and how they will change our lives over the next century.

Contents:

Introduction

The Internet at the forefront : 1990 through 1995 were revolutionary, with changes surpassing any previous stretch of communications history

From bonfires and bongos to the Web : people crave and benefit from connections, spurring communications networks to evolve

Web gems : social, political, and economic expectations inspired intriguing statements about the Internet

The 'highway' metaphor : finding a way to tell (and sell) how the Internet could be changing lives

Knocking the Net : some warn the Internet is naughty, anti-nature, and nefarious, even supporters see negatives

Saddam, O.J., and the Unabomber : Internet developments are tied to the news events and popular culture of the '90s

Nothing is certain but death and taxes (and some predictions - including the death of taxes - may have been premature, while many other 'deaths' may come to pass)

Aristotle, Jefferson, Marx, and McLuhan : predictors use historic perspective to make their points on issues

Supporters crow about "500 channels!" ; everyone warns about "infoglut" : a breathless bromide about a video wonderland is bandied about, while information overload looms larger than ever

Voices of the Net : zooming in on ten of the many people who made a difference by voicing concerns

The threat to freedom, to the earth : as communications networks become all-seeing, thinkers/theorists expect Big Brother or a robot takeover

The future of networks : the global mind doesn't need humans, but they may be able to use it if they'd like

Nobody knows you're a dog, or do they? : privacy issues on the Internet

Hmmm

will it happen? : these predictions did not come true, nor do they seem likely to come to pass.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-290) and index.

ISBN:

0742539369

0742539377

OCLC:

58604767