1982 report eerily predicts the effects of the Internet
The National Science Foundation commissioned a report in the early '80s that was amazingly accurate about the technological world we live in today.
Thu, Dec 15 2011 at 11:57 PM EST
Photo: Ste3ve/Flickr
A report commissioned by the National Science Foundation and released in 1982 predicted that a two-way communications network would dramatically change the way people live.
A New York Times story from June 14, 1982, highlights some of the specific details found in the report, including the prediction that more people would work from home (I'm typing this from my home office), that home-based shopping would allow consumers to order things when needed, and that socialization would happen more frequently on the network based on interests and skills rather than age or social class.
It even foresaw bloggers and online news editors by imagining information brokers who serve as gatekeepers of information.
Click over to the New York Times to give the article a full read.
We live in the future.
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