Cyber Society Forum

Cyber Society Forum

The World Future Society invites essays describing how life may look in the future as information technology changes our world.

Copyright: These papers are protected by the authors' copyright and may not be reproduced or distributed without the authors' permission.

To submit proposals: Please e-mail the full text, along with an abstract of no more than 50 words, to the editors.

Is Paperless Possible?
By Allen H. Kupetz
The computer industry has beeen telling us for years that computers will enhance our productivity by making paper unnecessary. Find out if paperless is possible.

The Far-Reaching Implications of the Cyber Revolution
By Carter Henderson
The article examines the great transformation from raw materials, which fueled the old Industrial Age, to bits of information driving the new Cyber Age, which is rapidly changing the lives of us all.

Who Called This Meeting? Automated Schedulers the Latest Scourge for the Technologically Besieged Office Worker
By Marita Moll
Technologies that are smart enough to schedule our meetings and reserve our conference rooms are certainly creating new frustrations for machine-dominated workers. But more than that, they may be yet another brick in the wall of “the future that doesn’t need us.” To avoid being relieved of the responsibility of being human, we need to practice guerrilla acts of resistance to the world of machine command and control.

From Hierarchy to Wirearchy: The Future of Workplace Dynamics
By Jon Husband
As the Internet has moved through the dot.com boom and bust, and integrated software encases most organizational activities, the dynamics of hierarchy have begun to morph into a new dynamic called wirearchy. Wirearchy is a dynamic flow of power and authority, based on information, trust, credibility and a focus on results, enabled by interconnected technology and people.

The Virtual Country
by The DaVinci Institute
The Internet is facilitating a new, technocratic competitor to the nation-state. Here are several scenarios of the emerging Virtual Country.

The Demise of Ethnic Differences — Cultural Identity and the Internet
By Caleb Rosado, Ph.D.
The Internet allows us to transcend traditional approaches to human identity, which focus on superficial issues such as race, ethnicity, and gender, and instead focus on ideas and shared values.

The Webcentric University
by Samuel L. Dunn
Future universities will thrive if they capitalize on the community-building opportunities brought about by the Internet and World Wide Web. A university administrator offers a scenario showing how it will work.

"He Who Rides the Wild Elephant . . ."
by Carter Henderson
Pizza, pornography, and cemetery plots--you'd be hard-pressed to name anything that isn't available on the Internet. Here's a look at what's out there, what it means, and what's next on the wild-elephant ride that is the Internet.

E-Employment  Is it Time to Change the Way We Work?
by Ron Messer
Corporate culture and values should be more like the open-source software movement in order to take advantage of the potential of virtual employees.

Ten Ways Your Life Will Change in the Cyber Future
by Edward Cornish
Infotech will make it easier to keep your personal information handy--and easier for other people to access it. You'll be snug in a smarter and more-secure home, yet the Internet will give you access to a world of friends--and even sex partners. These are just a few of the ways communications and computer technologies will change life in the next 25 years, according to the president of the World Future Society.