The Future of the Internet II: Violent resistance
One of the questions posed to almost 750 technology experts, executives, consultants and futurists worldwide. In the comments, please agree or disagree with whether the situation described will exist in 2020 and explain your reasoning.
Some Luddites/Refuseniks will commit terror acts: By 2020, the people left behind (many by their own choice) by accelerating information and communications technologies will form a new cultural group of technology refuseniks who self-segregate from "modern" society. Some will live mostly "off the grid" simply to seek peace and a cure for information overload while others will commit acts of terror or violence in protest against technology.
Comments (6)
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I think most of these people are just late adopters. My brother is a pro with AV equipment for watching sports. The ubiquity of cellular use also mitigates.
Posted on September 25, 2006 11:06 AM
Ida know, Fec. Ted "Unabomber" Kaczynski as "late adopter" seems kind of a tough sell....
Posted on September 25, 2006 11:15 AM
Would you agree that Ted was an anamoly? He was highly educated and not a normal member of the demographic, maybe.
Posted on September 25, 2006 12:18 PM
Oh, heck, Fec, I don't know. I was making a joke.
To me -- and I'm not a futurist -- the likeliest scenario is attacks on the network because it's a juicy terrorist target and/or because one can (the virus-writer motivation), not as a reaction to encroaching technology.
Posted on September 25, 2006 2:29 PM
My brother also says I read too much.
And I don't see the internet being attacked as long as there is spinach.
Posted on September 25, 2006 3:05 PM
Well, just where were all the spinach terrorists when *I* was a kid and was being forced to eat the stuff at least once a week? Believe me, several days of [severe and bloody gastrointestinal distress] would have been a small price to pay to escape eating that stuff for the rest of my childhood.
Not that I am bitter.
Posted on September 25, 2006 3:31 PM