Considering utopian predictions of the Web, I have to point out that the nasty side of human nature has tagged along into cyberspace. [url=http://www.winternet.com/~mikelr/flame1.html]Flaming[/url]and spam are
common examples. Actually, the utopian viewpoint seems very naive.

By dweinberger on Thursday, June 13, 2002 - 11:33 am:

Of course. Not to mention scams, lies, porn and more porn. (I currently receive 25 spam msgs to every one real msg. Sigh.)

Read the last chapter - which probably won't make you any happier - and then let's talk...

By Tim Walker on Sunday, June 16, 2002 - 09:22 pm:

To summarize, the nasty side of human nature is a constraint-it will prevent the Web from being as freewheeling as it might otherwise be. To be worth anything the Web will need an immune system. So much for utopian visions.

By Tim Walker on Friday, June 21, 2002 - 10:50 pm:

With media one must make a distinction of before or during the Information Revolution. Before most people had sharply limited reach. How many could own their own newspaper or radio or television station, publishing company or movie studio? These were and are the province of monied big interests. Of course these media-of and by large organizations-became impersonal and slick. But there was nothing to be done about it, the nature of a mass medium made it inevitable. The average guy had an old style camera, perhaps an old style movie camera, and maybe a tape recorder, so his creations were sharply limited and basically personal-and therefore tended to be somewhat individualistic. But suddenly the Web gave the average guy his own printing press and bookstore, and with global reach! But the personal touch came through even ASCII text. A medium both mass and personal at the same time. But eventually word got around to business and other big organizations, so they too set up Web sites. Slick web sites. These seem sterile compared to the personalized ones. The constrast is repellent in this highly individualistic medium.

By Tim Walker on Monday, June 24, 2002 - 12:57 am:

What will people embrace on the Web? I was thinking about Naisbitt's book Megatrends and the chapter "High Tech/High Touch." If we view the Web as the high tech part, many web sites are High Tech/Impersonal. I have purchased software and airline tickets on-line because it was convenient; e-commerce lacking the personal touch, I suspect, will have to offer convience, just as does a generic convenience store or an ATM. Also, if one is using the Web strictly as a database, one may find web sites with the same professional appearance as a reference book, but then, again you are using the Web because it is convenient.

By Tim Walker on Tuesday, June 25, 2002 - 12:47 am:

Back to individual creations on the Web. To a certain degree High Tech/High Touch has applied. Consider smileys, using generic punctuation to create improvised and imaginative pictographs. But what about the future? Will we see extensive use of avatars/animation? audio? Video? What will seem gimmicky, and what will be High Touch?

By Tim Walker on Saturday, June 29, 2002 - 12:43 pm:

Oddly enough, the use of animated smileys on the Fourth Turning web site seems like a regression-an attempt at High Tech/High Touch, but not working so well. The original smileys had a charm because they were obvious and imaginitive improvisions, especially because they imperfectly lay on their sides like this

By Tim Walker on Saturday, June 29, 2002 - 12:44 pm:

Oops! Didn't realize that the software was set up to do that.

By dweinberger on Saturday, June 29, 2002 - 01:01 pm:

My oops. I meant to turn off the Smiley Conversion feature.

By Tim Walker on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 07:39 pm:

Actually, I've decided to lighten up about the smileys. If people want to express themselves that way, fine.