The question of where our media are headed is an interesting one and such discussions are compelling and irresistible. Ultimately, however, the more significant question is where are we headed? What will our world be like as we become increasingly dependent upon technology? As technology continues to encroach upon, aid, ease, and befuddle our daily routine, how will our homes, our offices, our classrooms change ? What will our life be like in the future? What will our children's world be like? Not surprisingly, there is disagreement over the direction and nature of anticipated changes. Depending upon who you believe, the future is either going to be worse or better .

     Despite the breadth of such change surrounding communication and information technology, there are a couple of key areas of social and cultural import that stand out as particularly significant. One concerns the distribution of information and technology and equity, also known as the INFORMATION GAP DEBATE.

     Another debate which has traditionally accompanied the historical development of communication technology concerns potential threats to individual rights to PRIVACY & SECURITY.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

     Many observers have drawn upon history to understand the nature of today's changes. For example:

     "The transition from an industrial society to an information society is accompanied by widespread social and individual change. Nowhere is this change more advanced than in Silicon Valley, America's high-tech heartland. Like the technological innovations developed in Silicon Valley and then flowing to the rest of the world, social patterns now evolving in Silicon Valley may be precursors of the future for other communities." Judith Larsen & Everett Rogers, from The Information Society: Economic, social & structural issues (1989) Ed.: Jerry Salvaggio New Jersey: Erlbaum.

     For a bibliography of readings on the cultural and social impact of communication and information technology, see this list of Suggested Readings.