roundtable: Re: Visions of the GII at t

roundtable: Re: Visions of the GII at t

Re: Visions of the GII at t

Karen Coyle (kec@stubbs.ucop.edu)
Fri, 17 Mar 1995 11:51:08 -0800 (PST) 

Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 11:51:08 -0800 (PST)
From: Karen Coyle <kec@stubbs.ucop.edu>
Subject: Re: Visions of the GII at t
To: roundtable@cni.org
In-Reply-To: <9503170651.AA24225@athena.capital.edu>
Message-Id: <Pine.3.89.9503171140.B15971-0100000@stubbs.ucop.edu>


Jeff,

Content is a big issue, and you're right that there isn't much talk
about it.  I believe that's because information, as content, is
unlikely to provide the market that the commercial interests are
desiring to obtain from the Iway.  What will sell is infotainment
and entertainment.  

The truly information intensive businesses already have their information
needs met by commercial systems like Dialog and Lexis/Nexis.  As a
librarian I can tell you that much of the information that the general
public seeks out has little or no commercial potential.  Will people
pay for bus schedules, public health notices or voter information?
Can we, as a society, afford to have things like safe sex information
be on a "pay fer" basis?  And how on earth will you sell information
on how to apply for welfare benefits in your state?

The real danger of "universal access" is that everyone will have the
wires, but that the information needed by the less wealthy members
of our society won't be there because it isn't profitable to provide
it.  Or if it is there, it will be in a plain brown wrapper and no
one will access it.  

There really is a question of social responsibility here that isn't
getting addressed.

Karen Coyle
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
Berkeley Chapter
<kec@stubbs.ucop.edu>

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