Crystal Ball
Gazing
Reflections on the role
of information resources in a liberal arts eduction
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Crystal Ball
Gazing |
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Will the Internet retain its current democratic structure or will be become another publication medium dominated by commercial interests and large publishers like American OnLine and Microsoft?
At the beginning of the 20th century radio began as "wireless telegraph", widely used by ham operators to engage in two-way conversation across great distances. As the century progressed, commercial broadcasting dominated radio and marginalized ham operators to a point of near invisibility. While the ham community still exists, few people outside of that group would even associate them with radio and very few of today's radios can receive their transmissions. (more)
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The information highway metaphor conjures up an image of two-way travel, with individuals, small businesses, and nonprofit groups able to send, as well as receive, data. But the entertainment-driven systems envisioned by many telecommunications companies would be largely one-way streets. "The current thinking of most people in the industry is that the upstream is going to be relatively modest and the downstream is going to be where all the horsepower is," TCI's Malone told Broadcasting & Cable. Here's how Smith describes the hierarchy of value: "Take entertainment and add interactivity and you have video-on-demand, games, and the ability to change camera angles or call up more information on-screen. Add the ability to make transactions and you transform traditional retailing, banking, gaming, and advertising. Add the power to communicate-the ability to call up a real live person for a personal interaction-and you combine the efficiency of the electronic 'superstore' with the intimacy of the corner grocery." (cite) |
Much of the public debate over the Information Superhighway can be characterized as abattle to define who should control the content of the computer networks as the government moved to privatize ARPANET. So far, the Internet has remained open, but many still see it mainly as an opportunity to market products with clear traditional customer and vendor roles.