Negroponte's Points
Nicholas Negroponte, director of the MIT Media Lab, predicts that we’ll soon buy books and newspapers straight over the Internet. Uh, sure.
~ Clifford Stoll, Newsweek, 1995
Why is it that whenever someone has an innovative prediction, people believe it is absurdly impossible? Why do we, as a society, sometimes have the idea that anything is possible, and other times think that innovative ideas sound impossible or even stupid? This isn’t a modern trend; thousands of years ago, Aristotle and Galileo were not believed for their scientific conclusions. Are we that afraid of change? Are we angry and jealous that we didn’t think of it first? Why do we shun those that think differently?
In 1995, Nicholas Negroponte, made a prediction that people will be buying books and newspapers on the Internet soon. Clifford Stroll of Newsweek responded cynically, sarcastically, and doubtfully with, “Uh, sure” (Negroponte, 2014). Of course, time has proven that Negroponte’s prediction came true. People buy books and newspapers online to the point where bookstores are closing and newspapers are moving to online formats. Personally, I do not know anyone that still subscribes to a paper newspaper, and if I wanted a book I would order it from Amazon. In addition, more products are purchased online than just books and newspapers, as digital commerce is a major element of digital citizenship (Ribble, 2015). Not only did Negroponte’s prediction come true, but it is proven over and over again with each online purchase that is made.
With this 1995 quote from Negroponte, he was trying to covey the untapped potential of the Internet, and his critics were conveying their disbelief and negative attitudes. Times are changing, and technology has drastically improved since 1995. Online purchases make up most of my monetary transactions, and as a teacher I am constantly reading online and encouraging my students to do the same. My local newspaper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, has stopped publishing in print and moved to solely online platform. Most of my professional reading is done online through articles on Edutopia and the like, and when I do read a paper book I still purchase it online. My students read online through Read Theory, ReadWorks, NewsELA, Epic, and more. Buying books and newspapers online is a way of modern life.
I am happy that Negroponte’s prediction was correct because I couldn’t imagine not being able to make online purchases. Innovative ideas are not stupid; they just need some time to take off.
References
Negroponte, N. [TED]. (2014, July 8). A 30-year history of the future [Video File].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b5BDoddOLA
Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know (3rd
ed.). Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
