Best of all possible worlds

Abstract

The social effects of advances in information technology in the next 50 years are predicted. It is predicted that the Internet will gradually replace mass media which at present may be working for the interests of a few, influential sectors of society. The Internet will then usher in a new, universal freedom of speech and expression, and a more evenly distributed global wealth and abundance in terms of information. It might also restore ethics as users of the Internet, in the absence of laws or credible authority, begin to feel an instinctive sense of personal responsibility towards others. Finally, the Net will provide a greater collective consciousness and a greater degree of tolerance to diversity in society.