TRENDS & PREDICTIONS
SITES
Cyber-Geography Research
"Exploring the geographies of the Internet, the Web and other emerging Cyberspaces."
Phil Agre's Home Page
A series of information-packed essays from Philip E. Agre, professor of information studies and maintainer of the Red Rock Eater News Service.
The Turning Point Project
A project aimed at drawing public attention to negative aspects of technology.
UCLA Center for Communication Policy - Internet Report
Home to yearly reports of Internet usage.
ARTICLES
The Age of Access
We are entering an age in which corporations will concentrate on becoming an essential part of a customer's life cycle rather than building particular products. Without much debate, community and life are becoming bounded by commercial activity. (3/13/2000 at The Industry Standard)
As the Web Matures, Fun Is Hard to Find
Old-time web users are saying that the web has lost its appeal, as innovative and silly sites are harder to find. (3/28/2002 at The New York Times)
A Bit of Perspective on the Dot-Com Backlash
The Internet has failed (after a short-term success) at hyper-accelerating most corporations' growth; but it's still made life better for a number of the people who use it. (3/4/2001 at The New York Times)
Brain Waves
Predictions on the far future of the web from luminaries such as Robert Young (CEO, Red Hat), Philippe Kahn (co-developer of Pascal computing language), Mark Pesce (VRML developer), and Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the you-know-what). (12/8/1999 at Business 2.0)
Challenging the Computer Revolution
A group of anti-establishment philosophers and contrarian thinkers would like more examination of the effect of computer and network technology on society, rather than blind acceptance of technological advances. (12/29/1999 at The Nando Times - Techserver)
Commercialization May Limit Internet
Trademark and copyright laws that favor large businesses, and technology that restricts the material that users can transport over the network, are helping corporations gain control of the Internet at the expense of individual site creators. (12/25/2001 at Excite News)
The Danger of On-Line Voting
The Arizona Democratic Party's implementation of online voting for their March 2000 primaries is the latest in a series of ill-considered efforts to move people from the ballot box to the election form, according to this Boston Globe columnist. (12/16/1999 at The Boston Globe)
Do You Have the 'Internet Time'?
Ericsson AG is the latest corporation to buy into "Internet time," a time-keeping system created by Swatch AG of Switzerland; Ericsson's T20 phone features Internet time, which splits the day into 1,000 "beats". (11/1/2000 at ZDNet)
The End of the Net
An interview in which Lawrence Lessig explains his pessimism regarding control of the Internet and its protocls, and how it will reduce innovation. (11/13/2001 at MSNBC)
The Everywhere Web
A long, wide-ranging set of articles dealing with the future of the Internet - for the next year, and for the next 25 years. (1/10/2000 at ZDNet)
Faking It: The Internet Revolution Has Nothing to Do With the Nasdaq
The tale of Marcus Lewis, a 15-year-old boy whose legal expertise is dispensed via AskMe.com, and the implications for both knowledge-based professions and families. (7/15/2001 at The New York Times)
How Will the Internet Age?
Five predictions on how the Internet will change our lives. 1. Connectivity will become ubiquitous. 2. The future will be streamed, not downloaded. 5. There will be a renaissance of creative expression. (12/8/1999 at Business 2.0)
In 2000, the Net Goes Mainstream
Prognosticators say the mainstreaming of the Internet will be the biggest news of 2000. More women are coming online, as well as people with lower incomes than those traditionally drawn to this still-expensive medium. (12/28/1999 at ZDNet)
Increasing Net Usage in the US
According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project report, 16 million more U.S. citizens were online by the end of 2000 than there were at the beginning; "hobby information" and "browse for fun" were the two main reasons people went online. (2/21/2001 at eMarketer)
The Internet Doesn't Isolate, But Reconnects Us to Others
A recent Pew Internet poll supports the impression that many Net users already have: the Internet encourages far-flung families and friends to stay in touch. (5/20/2000 at Mercury Center)
Internet Liberation Theology
A review of Lawrence Lessig's book, "The Future of Ideas," in which he argues that future prosperity requires innovation; and that innovation requires a different vision of law and property than that put forth by most media and technology corporations. (11/7/2001 at Salon.com)
The Language of IM
Experts say that Instant Messaging (IM) reduces the ability to communicate complex thoughts to, or interact meaningfully with, each other. (1/25/2000 at Wired News)
Maybe the Net Doesn't Change Everything
A review of Brown and Duguid's book The Social Life of Information, which concludes that technology is changing the way we live, but not revolutionizing our lives. (3/9/2000 at Salon.com)
Plugged In: Cyberpunk Grandmaster William Gibson
In his book "All Tomorrow's Parties", William Gibson completes his second cyberpunk trilogy, set in a world that isn't too far from our own: 5 years from now, when everyone has mobile connectivity to the Net, and the pace of societal change is harrowing (12/14/1999 at Excite News)
Pop Tech's Unbroken Connection
The fifth annual Camden Technology Conference (aka Pop Tech) will bring together 500 technology thinkers to consider how technology that puts us "Online, Everywhere, All the Time" will change society. (10/18/2001 at Wired News)
The Post-Apocalyptic Web
Predictions for the year 2000: Y2K bug doesn't bite; ad banners fade away; groupware makes a comeback; online privacy goes away; and more. (1/1/2000 at Web Techniques)
Predicting the Legal Internet Issues for 2000
Predictions of the legal issues which will predominate in 2000: media consolidation, ICANN, privacy, censorship, encryption, and business method patents. (12/31/1999 at The New York Times)
So Many Predict So Much
Technologists, publishers, marketers, and more make predictions for the year 2001. (12/30/2000 at Wired News)
Startup Leftovers Piling Up
Both failing and still-going dot-coms are donating used computer equipment and furniture to non-profits at an increasing rate, as they either go out of business or upgrade their own equipment.
(12/22/2000 at Wired News)
'State of the Internet' Report Urges Light Touch on Regulation
The U.S. Internet Council's report gives government officials recommendations on a series of Net-related issues: industry self-regulation, the digital device, and law enforcement on the Net. (9/1/2000 at CNN)
Survey Finds Americans Feel Too Dependent on Technology
A recent survey showed that 73.2% of Americans felt Y2K scares were a result of people becoming too dependent on technology. (11/18/1999 at Mercury Center)
Tech Workers Turning Tail?
Reversing a five-year trend, more people are moving out of Silicon Valley than are moving in. (2/10/2000 at Wired News)
Techno-dystopia
80 nonprofits have started a coalition, The Turning Point Project, which hopes to change the public debate on technology, and bring up views and information to dampen the unbridled and unwarranted techno-enthusiasm they see in the media. (9/20/2000 at Salon.com)
Thank God for the Internet
An interview with Michael Lewis, author of "Next" and "The New New Thing," about trading privacy for convenience, the flattening of skilled professions, and kids who are at the tops of professional fields. (7/18/2001 at Salon.com)
The Unacknowledged Legislators of the Digital World
Reviewer Charles C. Mann takes issue with Lawrence Lessig's book Code, a book he finds incredibly insightful and thought-provoking, but, eventually, wrong. (12/15/1999 at The Atlantic Monthly)
The Values of Code (and Code)
An interview with Lawrence Lessig on how he sees computer code - the architecture of the Internet - being overwhelmed by legislative code - architected by corporations and governments. (12/13/1999 at The Atlantic Monthly)
Virtual Revenge and the Decline of the Dot-Coms
As dot-coms fail and tech workers go back to work for old-school firms, websites and chain email messages poke fun at the Internet economy. (7/15/2001 at The New York Times)
What the Web Means in Tougher Times
As Internet and computer technology gets better, corporations (high-tech and traditional) become more efficient; they're then faced with a choice - fire the workers they no longer need, or use their more-efficient labor to expand the business. (2/28/2001 at The New York Times)
Will We Ever Log Off?
There are some activities which have no satisfying online equivalents (for example, hiking); but many others - sharing a meal with someone, for example - will probably done online, and with people thousands of miles away, by mid-century. (2/14/2000 at Time Magazine Online)
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