Why the Web Won't Be Nirvana (1995)

#1

Post by nostrademons » Tue, Nov 10, 2015, 9:33 PM UTC

Why the Web Won't Be Nirvana (1995)
newsweek.com

Re: Why the Web Won't Be Nirvana (1995)

#2

Post by Nadya » Tue, Nov 10, 2015, 9:46 PM UTC

Amazing how much everything has changed in 20 years as to make nearly every single sentence of this article wrong to a hilarious extent.

Thank you for sharing this. It didn't tickle my intellectual curiosity, but it's a nice reminder of how bad humans can be at predicting even short-term changes. :)

Re: Why the Web Won't Be Nirvana (1995)

#3

Post by jgrowl » Tue, Nov 10, 2015, 10:00 PM UTC

I feel like hitting a paywall on an article that shows the irrelevancy of the old media is somehow very fitting.

Re: Why the Web Won't Be Nirvana (1995)

#4

Post by dublinben » Tue, Nov 10, 2015, 10:00 PM UTC

Nadya wrote: post #2

Amazing how much everything has changed in 20 years as to make nearly every single sentence of this article wrong to a hilarious extent. Thank you for sharing this. It didn't tickle my intellectual curiosity, but it's a nice reminder of how bad humans can be at predicting even short-term changes. :)

In aggregate, I'd say the predictions in this article were only half wrong. For as much as we use the Web today, the fundamental interactions discussed here have not changed much.

Re: Why the Web Won't Be Nirvana (1995)

#5

Post by dublinben » Tue, Nov 10, 2015, 10:00 PM UTC

jgrowl wrote: post #3

I feel like hitting a paywall on an article that shows the irrelevancy of the old media is somehow very fitting.

PDF mirror: http://blogs.sfu.ca/departments/continuingstudies/wiredrepor...

Re: Why the Web Won't Be Nirvana (1995)

#6

Post by bobbyi_settv » Tue, Nov 10, 2015, 10:03 PM UTC

Nadya wrote: post #2

Amazing how much everything has changed in 20 years as to make nearly every single sentence of this article wrong to a hilarious extent. Thank you for sharing this. It didn't tickle my intellectual curiosity, but it's a nice reminder of how bad humans can be at predicting even short-term changes. :)

Most people considered Cliff Stoll to be a hilariously wrong luddite in 1995.

Re: Why the Web Won't Be Nirvana (1995)

#7

Post by jwoah12 » Tue, Nov 10, 2015, 10:05 PM UTC

> Yet Nicholas Negroponte, director of the MIT Media Lab, predicts that we'll soon buy books and newspapers straight over the Intenet. Uh, sure.

Link to "Get Newsweek on your iPad" directly below the article. I love it.

Re: Why the Web Won't Be Nirvana (1995)

#8

Post by n7c3c1 » Tue, Nov 10, 2015, 10:10 PM UTC

I wonder what the equivalent of this is today. What are people saying will NEVER happen? Maybe self-driving cars?

Re: Why the Web Won't Be Nirvana (1995)

#9

Post by api » Tue, Nov 10, 2015, 10:11 PM UTC

n7c3c1 wrote: post #8

I wonder what the equivalent of this is today. What are people saying will NEVER happen? Maybe self-driving cars?

Cryptocurrency for real-world mainstream commerce would get my vote. That will NEVER happen. It's only for buying pot, right?

Re: Why the Web Won't Be Nirvana (1995)

#10

Post by mixmastamyk » Tue, Nov 10, 2015, 10:12 PM UTC

Nadya wrote: post #2

Amazing how much everything has changed in 20 years as to make nearly every single sentence of this article wrong to a hilarious extent. Thank you for sharing this. It didn't tickle my intellectual curiosity, but it's a nice reminder of how bad humans can be at predicting even short-term changes. :)

Right, I was a bit surprised myself even with your warning. The guy is not always wrong in this piece, but seems to really miss the point, even for '95.

Things never ever get totally replaced, but technology and automation tends to take over the default case. His examples of newspapers and salespeople have not completely gone away, but certain have been significantly impacted by online alternatives.