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About Media Futures Archive The words "Media Futures Archive" may seem like an oxymoron. After all, forecasts are ephemeral, not something to be preserved. Of what value is a project which stores statements from the past about a future that may or may not have arrived? I am an educator, a constructive and optimistic critic, as well as a forecaster. This project is an outlet for all of those pursuits. It will preserve thoughts on how our media are evolving and what they will be like in the future, as well as thoughts on how our media are changing our culture and our world. I do not intend to purposely embarrass anyone by recording and preserving their mistakes. However, those of us who generate forecasts can learn from the "misses" as well as the "hits" of the past. The project is also aimed at the consumer of forecasts. We are inundated with predictions; they are used to thrill, entertain and inform, as well as to sell, delude, deceive and distract. Ironically, we are prone to bury our skepticism when enticed with visions of things to come. This leaves us vulnerable and detached. This site will be instructive and should teach us to be more critical consumers of visions, and more cognizant of our role in envisioning and creating the future. Please pardon any inconsistencies in style, wherever possible I provided citation information. In addition, these statements have been snipped from their original context. I encourage interested readers to track down the original source to get a more complete reading of the vision. The current site also provides most of the forecasts without extensive analysis or commentary. That is what I do in my articles, in my speeches, in my courses, and in my consulting work. However as the site grows, so may the online commentary. The organizational structure will also be refined as the site expands. Convergence has made the notion of categorizing forecasts by media a bit of a problem. Also, I will be adding new categories and services in the near future, so please check back. This is a labor of love, and comments and contributions are most welcome. Thanks to Jill Butler for the initial conception of the cover page, and to Studio Briefing for allowing me to use some of their material. (For subscription information, contact Lew Irwin: E-Mail:studio@usa.net. Phone: 818-992-4090, Fax: 818-313-9696). Finally, I am indebted to those bold individuals who have publicly envisioned the future of our media and the future of our technologically dependent world. David F. Donnelly
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