'Refusniks' To Sow Terror, Discord! New Pew survey hints at anti-technology terrorism A recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, polling 742 high tech savants, found that 58% fear anti-technology extremists will be a social problem before 2020. The online survey, The Future of the Internet II (or link straight to PDF), sought to seek the effects of internet use on social, political and economic life in the year 2020. "Constant change will spook some into trying to slow everyone down through horrific and catastrophic terrorist attacks against the information infrastructure and all who rely upon it," said Sean Mead, of Interbrand Analytics, who took part in the survey. Some, however, felt that the voices of dissent are needed. "We need some strong dissenting voices about the impact of this technology in our lives," wrote Denzil Meyers of Widgetwonder. "So far, it's been mostly the promise of a cure-all, just like the past 'Industrial Revolution.'"Other speculations included: -- A global, low-cost network will be thriving and mobile communications will be available to anyone anywhere at low cost.
-- English will be a universal language of global communication but other languages, such as Mandarin, could grow in prominence.
-- Virtual reality on the Internet will lead to more productivity but will also spawn new addiction problems.
-- Humans will remain in charge of technology, even as more activity is automated and "smart agents" proliferate.
-- People will wittingly or unwittingly disclose more about themselves, gaining some benefits in the process even as they lose some privacy.
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  pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | Seems Reasonable Some local governments want to continue restricting companies like Verizon and AT&T from deploying new technologies. These restrictions will prevent quite a few people from having access to said technology. Hence, those pursuing the restrictions should be removed from power before they can cause more problems.
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join:2001-12-28
Evanston, IL | Re: Seems Reasonable Haha very funny. | |
| |  RayWPremium
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT
kudos:1 | said by pnh102:Some local governments want to continue restricting companies like Verizon and AT&T from deploying new technologies. These restrictions will prevent quite a few people from having access to said technology. Hence, those pursuing the restrictions should be removed from power before they can cause more problems. Yeah, get rid of the leaders of those companies. We tried to get Utopia here to get some decent broadband, and they crippled it with law suits (and a paid politician from another area) because they were afraid of it and the progress it would bring.
Ooppss You are saying the tel/cablecos are good for us.
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 calvoiper
join:2003-03-31
Belvedere Tiburon, CA | This is news? Congratulations to the Pew Project for finding out that people are concerned about anti-technology terrorists.
Since the Unabomber laid the groundwork, this concern is older than the concern about A-Q.
What will the Pew Project discover next? That people in the Midwest are concerned about tornadoes, or that people in Coastal California worry about earthquakes?
calvoiper
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|  LinklistPremium
join:2002-03-03
Longport, NJ
kudos:5 |  Religious terrorists will attack internet infrastructure
Also, since the internet is now a major underpinning of the West's economic well being, the terrorists have more than a philosophical reason to attack the internet.
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| Re: Religious terrorists will attack internet infrastructure I don't agree, there are more anti-development anything people than extreme religions in the US at least.
Lots of cases out west of people who just want to be left alone and have the "not in my backyard" mentality about anything "new". Remember the guy who removed all the bolts from towers with the high transmissions lines cause they bothered him? People like that are a dime a dozen. | |
| |  POBRes Firma Mitescere NescitPremium
join:2003-02-13
Stepford, CA | I doubt Luddites, as traditionally defined, are the danger to internet infrastructure. It will be Fundamentalist Islamic Christian terrorists worshipping an image of George Bush that will be the greatest danger. | |
| | | | No, it's not a religious issue at all. Trying to define a threat to the internet as a religious war is wrong. The problem is that the arab people are a tribal society. Shiites hate sunnis, but they are both muslim. In a tribal society, anything that is an 'outsider' item/device/idea, is a threat to the tribe. That's why the whole war in iraq will never be won, becuse the people are too primitive, and they think like a tribe, not a democracy. The threat to the internet will come not from a religious fanatic, but from a terrorist like bin laden, who is NOT a religious leader, but a tribal leader. | |
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1 edit | said by Linklist:I doubt Luddites, as traditionally defined, are the danger to internet infrastructure. It will be Fundamentalist Islamic terrorists that will be the greatest danger. As they see the internet as a tool of the West to facilitate attacks on their religion. Since they see technology as a tool of the devil, I guess you could say they are Luddites in some form. But the motivation is religious in nature and not just a pure anti-technology motive. Also, since the internet is now a major underpinning of the West's economic well being, the terrorists have more than a philosophical reason to attack the internet. Not so fast. Does the Earth Liberation Front mean anything. It is just a matter of time. There have been attacks on companies that engage in animal research in Europe. | |
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 swhx7Premium
join:2006-07-23
Elbonia | The respondents, and possible uses of "extremist" label The approximate list of respondents: »www.elon.edu/predictions/200briefbios.aspx
It's an illustrious selection.
I think the predictions are about right. Most of them are uncontroversial and unsurprising - the one about anti-cyber-luddites is just picked out as the most attention-grabbing.
What seems to me more likely than real anti-computer "extremism", is certain types of politicians, agencies or interests promoting fear of such a thing as a way to bolster invasions of privacy and other rights. In other words, anti-liberty policies like the NSA surveillance will grow, and those who try to preserve freedom in the digital world may be labeled "terrorists" or "extremists" as a tactic to suppress dissent. | |
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| possible, but when? yes, but a few MORE tragedies need to happen... like a LiMiTed nuclear war, several more natural disasters, terrorist shredding of populations, etc.. but I'd envision things more a cross between 1984 style democracy and the "network ratings" game played in max headroom.
Who's with me on this one? | |
|  richk_1957If ..Then..ElsePremium
join:2001-04-11
Minas Tirith | It's fundamentalists/extremists of ANY kind It's not just fundamentalist Muslims
It's not just Christian terrorists
BTW, POB  that clip scared me. To think that we are indoctrinating our kids that way. At that age, kids should be taught generalities, or different points of view. To teach them that one thing, and that only is right, IMHO is indoctrination.
It's not just Luddites, Earth Liberation Front or your backyard extremists we have to worry about
It's any & all of them
If we focus on one groups & fail to see others & anything happens, well, it's almost our own fault. | |
|  MaxoYour tax dollars at work.Premium,VIP
join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL | I sure do wish I belonged to a panel of experts. I could then theorise on stuff and have people give a crap about my science fiction studies. Honestly, when it comes to technology the only thing that's a given is that it will change. How it will change is about as predictable as lottery. I urge people to read Tom Clancy novels over shit shiite. | |
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