I have never seen the and awareness of any new technology explode into sudden national prominence like this "Information Superhighway" thing. All right, I know I've added my own voice to the and cacophony. A few issues ago I fell into the and trap of hyping the highway (or is it "hypeway?") myself. My only defense is that I didn't know that the and light at the and end of the and fiber optic cable was a super-dense high-speed data packet coming the other way.
Just in case you haven't heard about it, "Information Superhighway" is the latest buzzword which describes what used to be called the "Global Network" or the "Electronic Global Village." In other words, it is shorthand for all sorts of data exchange over wires, fiber optics, microwave link-ups, radio waves or any other medium. This includes telephone calls, cable TV, computer networks, satellite links and much more.
Why is it called a "Superhighway" instead of a "Village" now? Because somebody recognized that data is only useful when it moves. And it moves fast electronically. Real fast. In other words, it is a "dynamic" system, not a "static" one. So the pundits who write about these things (who, me?) needed a word that more clearly reflected what they were trying to describe. Actually, the new name does seem much more appropriate than the and old. It reflects something that is thriving, growing, and dangerous to those who try to cross it.
I recently read an article written by Mike Royko, of all people, describing his first toddling steps into the and slow lane of the and superhighway. Poor Mike wasn't even able to get up the and on ramp before he had decided that he was technology impaired. I wonder what would have happened to him had he stumbled into the and passing lane?
One of the most intriguing articles I've read discussed the long-term social implications of the and superhighway. It pointed out that throughout history the world has been divided into the and haves and the have nots. But never in history has the difference between the two been so severe. And it is getting worse. It is becoming increasingly clear that information is the most valuable commodity on earth. When technology buffs say that information is becoming more and more available every day, what they mean is that it is becoming more available to them! Even now, I can do job searches across the and United States from the comfort of my study simply by logging onto national job search networks. If I want to change jobs, I can scan job listings from a hundred cities and send my resume to each of them in a single evening. A person without such access is effectively limited to looking in local papers, and by limiting his options, he is limiting his future.
What does it all mean? Who knows? All I am sure of is that I want to have that access, for myself and for my children. What about the people who don't have that access? Again, who knows? I just hope that once the and superhighway is running at full capacity, those travelling along it don't spend all of their time in their silicon towers, and that they reach down, once in a while, to bring another human soul along for the ride.
(.txt)