The approach of
decentralized access, through numerous channels, to the same
information - will prevail.
The Transparent Language
The Internet will become the next battlefield between have
countries and have-not countries. It will be a cultural war
zone (English against French, Japanese, Chinese, Russian and
Spanish). It will be politically charged: those wishing to
restrict the freedom of speech (authoritarian and dictatorial
regimes, governments, conservative politicians) against pro-
speechers. It will become a new arena of warfare and an
integral part of actual wars.
Different peer groups, educational and income social-economic
strata, ethnic, sexual preference groups - will all fight in
the eternal fields of the Internet.
Yet, two developments are likely to pacify the scene:
Automatic translation applications (like Accent and the Alta
Vista translation engines) will make every bit of information
accessible to all. The lingual (and, by extension ethnic or
national) source of the information will be disguised. A
feeling of a global village will permeate the medium.
Pages:
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369