Hailing the Digital Messiah

by Hope Moore

Armchair quarterbacks of the world, awaken from your television-induced narcosis, hold on to your seats and keep your eyes glued to the screen; you're about to be pummeled into the 21st century of digital information without even straying from the almighty screen. The time has come and the new digitized messiah of information exchange is looming in data banks, cable systems and fiber optic wires all around us. Soon we will be swaddled in layers of information which will be our primary source of knowledge, activity and, in turn, wealth. But we must buckle ourselves in carefully, with a thorough understanding of the new media environment, before we speed onto the information superhighway.

In the 60's, Marshall McLuhan observed that the dominant media shapes society. Now our society is about to undergo a paradigmatic shift due to the unification of massive information systems which will radically alter our attitudes, productivity, and way of life. Even the catch phrase "Information Superhighway" gives the unmistakable sense of history in the making, suggesting a new world of interactive media; fast and furious, full of opportunity and challenges. Soon to be left in the dust, traditional communication vehicles, such as television/video, telephones and computers, are merging to form an explosive new communication route, technologically based on the ability to translate all audio and video communications into digital information. At a technological crossroad, our capacity to compress, digitize and store immeasurable amounts of information signals, for transmission through telephone and cable lines, has improved tremendously.

Right now the information superhighway is in the preliminary stages of development, led by corporations, who see a potentially huge consumer market. This rapid development, fueled by these profit-motivated corporations, is dangerous. In the 40s television lay in the hands of the private sector who altered these media into a consortium of commercialism. With the advent of the information superhighway the same issues arise, as a gamut of services will range from accessing 500 interactive channels, home-view real estate, the latest on-screen magazines and newspapers, electronic mail, interactive video games, ticket selections for cultural events, a plethora of movies and television shows, libraries, data banks, catalog shopping and financial services.

As concerned individuals and eventual users of this system, we must thoroughly understand the implications and ramifications of the corporate world's development of the information highway. The crucial question is: who will control the information superhighway? The new technology could allow cybercitizens of tomorrow to perform more tasks, at a faster rate, whenever they want. But we must ask who's to benefit and what restrictions will apply. We are in dire need of public discourse and involvement; we must act locally to insure this system is universally accessible and operates in the public interest.

One existing sector of the information superhighway is the mega-bulletin board called Internet. The largest on-line communications network, connecting some 15 million members all over the world, with some, Internet is fast becoming the new global town square. But in order to gain access to Internet one must pay for a local link-up. Link-up services are offered through a variety of computer Bulletin Board Services tailored to specific interests. No one owns the Internet but those who advertise their software services and sell gateway access are benefitting financially. The more prominent commercial link-up services are CompuServe, Prodigy, Delphi and America On-line. In November, 1993, Prodigy offered its customers a simple e-mail gateway to Internet. America On-line Services launched Internet Center which includes a connection, through a Windows-based interface, to WAIS and Gopher databases. News, weather, sports and financial information are available on this service as well. CompuServe produced a multi-media CD-ROM extension of its on-line service. They concentrate on providing investment data on stocks, mutual funds, bonds, options and commodities. Prodigy services are targeted at families and novices, an inexpensive user friendly route.

Given the difficulty in navigating the Internet, there is a need to integrate computer education into educational curriculums. Arthur Kroker, dubbed Montreal's guru of the virtual age, explains the danger of informational elitism: "Who's on the Net, and who's not on the Net. That's the real division of power. If you're not on the Net you don't exist."1 The Internet is a tool that connects information systems and people, if it is to be a democratic tool then it must be universally accessible, for social divisions of the future will be based, in part, on technological literacy. If we do not make technological literacy an educational mandate and ensure universal accessibility, we may witness the rise of a highly segregated class system, based on technological knowledge.

In Ottawa, an alternative computer network called a FreeNet is already promoting the free flow of information, with a mandate to operate in the public interest. According to Garth Graham, an employee of the Ottawa FreeNet, the information superhighway "is public space that must be nurtured and developed into its own high-speed, broadband network, independent from control by companies."2 His fear, shared by many, is that the proposed interactive system could easily turn into an oligopoly of costly informational elitism. The FreeNet aims to resist such a fate, offering free public access to a plethora of local on-line information, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The FreeNet's electronic forum is accessible via computers located in librairies, schools, community centers, churches and hospitals.

Based on the principle of equal access to information for all citizens, FreeNets are becoming a form of resistance to corporate elements which would prevent equal access to the new information technology. The first Canadian FreeNet was launched in Victoria, B.C., in 1992 and now a movement is underfoot to establish a FreeNet in Montreal. FreeNets are a powerful tool for increasing public awareness regarding community issues and computer literacy. Any organization or individual with information to publicize is given space on the FreeNet; the information offered encompasses employment opportunities, news, travel, safety, medical, scientific, educational, legal, community-oriented information, to name but a few. In the end these Nets not only insure access to information but they also foster community involvement, allowing the public to share ideas and organize events, in addition to increasing computer literacy and providing an on-line linkup to worldwide electronic networks.

One extremely successful example of a FreeNet is the Public Electronic Network (PEN) based is Santa Monica, California. Supported by taxpayers and the government, it went on-line in 1989. In a municipality of 85,000 residents, PEN now boasts 5,000 regular users, some 200 of which are homeless. According to its founders, PEN is meeting its primary objectives: providing easy access to public information; enhancing communication among residents; increasing a sense of community by providing electronic forums; diffusing knowledge and access to new communication technology among residents; and providing an equitable distribution of communication resources to all residents.3 But PEN's most outstanding feature is that it allows communication without discrimination. A homeless user, Don Paschal, summarizes the benefits of PEN, dubbing it "a great equalizer ... No one on PEN knew I was a homeless person until I told them. After I told them, I was still treated like a human being... The most remarkable thing about PEN is that a city council member and a pauper can co-exist."4 At the onset of the exploding information age FreeNets could clearly be radically beneficial and influential in many communities

U.S. Vice President Al Gore said "make no mistake about it, this is by all odds the most important and lucrative marketplace of the 21st century."5 Advertising agencies have been quick to respond to his prediction, looking for ways to reach millions of on-line users. Meanwhile, gateway services are waging a brutal war for users' attention, tailoring their product to a general public rather than technophiles. For example, America On-Line just formed an alliance with five new media partners. Subscribers to C.N.N., Newsroom, San Jose Mercury News, The Washington Post and the New Republic will be able to tap into America On-line to get information and join in discussions on national and international issues. By the time the information superhighway arrives, mass marketing will be an extremely specialized and specifically targeted art, seamlessly woven into interactive media. There will be drastic increases of audience measurement; demographics will be available to advertisers through cable services, household orders and interactive subscriptions, allowing them to figure out which households will respond best to which messages.

Private enterprise has an uncanny knack for carefully guiding consumers interests. Tele-Communications Inc., the world's largest cable company, has introduced a "video-on-demand" service for residents in Denver, Colorado. GTE, the largest independent phone company, has set up a pilot system in Cerritos, California which allows viewers to pay bills, play games, and order airline tickets, all on the same wire that brings them cable TV. In Castro Valley, California, Viacom has instituted a similar system in order to test consumer response, while M.C.I., Cable Vision and other large cable corporations are also developing interactive services to run on a demonstrative basis. In Chicoutimi, Quebec, Groupe Videotron plans to start the first interactive TV system, Videoway, in Canada, reaching 35,000 homes as of January, 1995. The project will include catalog shopping, home banking, electronic mail and home utility automation, stirring interest among potential advertisers. Corporations are eagerly leading research in this arena in order to ensure themselves a safe corner of the virgin market.

Historically, private enterprise has been a greater force in shaping mass media than the government, but private enterprise now fears government legislation will promote free public access to the Superhighway. The Canadian government faces a dilemma in creating policy; it must incorporate private interest to assure Canada's competitiveness, while providing universal on-line access.

With the onset of the information superhighway, our direct, physical experience will diminish drastically and we will move towards a highly technical, digital way of life. Ideally, the information superhighway could promote freer communication in the public realm, but the free flow of information could be easily blocked by the powers that be. Corporate interests in the culture industry, ancillary markets, telephone services, catalog shopping and video games are competing for the potential jackpot. Consumers will fall victim to power alliances already forming within the network. Major decisions which will affect us all are being made behind closed doors. We must join forces, lobby, write our local politicians and ensure the 21st century does not turn into one big traffic jam. This is our chance to create a policy allowing Canada to be on the cutting edge by combining universal on-line access in tandem with technological development. We have witnessed the transformation of television into a "vast wasteland" of consumerism. We must strive to avoid creating another overpowering medium fueled solely by consumerism and consider the societal implications before corporate interests forge a mass merchandising tool out of this interactive system.

The move towards increasing channels of information is potentially beneficial to society as a whole, providing it incorporates universal on-line access. This will be the final test of the modern world in which we will either stand justly or fall into the abyss of technocapitalism.

2 Julien Feldman, "Will cost threaten Universality?," in The Mirror, (Feb.10-17, 1994).

3 Joan Van Tassel, "Yakety-Yak, Do Talk Back," in Wired, (January, 1994).

4 Ibid, Tassel.

5 "The Info Highway." In Time Magazine, (April 12, 1993).

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