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wikimedia.org
Pew sees more tech "refuseniks" like the Unabomber in our future. |
Yesterday, the
Pew Internet & American Life project released an intriguing new report,
The Future of the Internet II, by
Lee Rainie. A survey of 742 "internet leaders, activists, and analysts" from around the world yielded some consensus on several predictions. Here are a few of the things this report claims might come to pass by 2020:
- "A low-cost global network will be thriving and creating new opportunities in a 'flattening' world." (As long as net neutrality doesn't hit the skids, I guess.)
- "A significant 42% of survey respondents were pessimistic about humans’ ability to control the technology in the future. [They] agreed that dangers and dependencies will grow beyond our ability to stay in charge of technology. This was one of the major surprises in the survey."
- "Tech 'refuseniks' will emerge as a cultural group characterized by their choice to live off the network. Some will do this as a benign way to limit information overload, while others will commit acts of violence and terror against technology-inspired change."
