The Idiot World of the Internet

Quoted from the Daily Mail’s “On This Day” column:

13 March 1970

Television writer Nigel Kneale, who wrote The Year Of The Sex Olympics and the Quatermass science fiction series, foresees “a world run entirely by television and computer. No, I’m not talking 50 years ahead, but perhaps ten to 15 years” He added: “I see a new, not very pleasant world. A World with nothing but the TV screen to look at and dream over. An idiot world. It frightens me."

Now, a little short of the 50 years we have arrived at his forecasted point in time. Much has been written about the physical, psychological and social side effects of constant media exposure. Children, in particular, continue to be a growing public health concern with the obvious signs of obesity even in pre-school children as they spend more time looking at computer screens than playing with other children, especially outdoors. Adults should accept their responsibility for this outcome, not only for allowing children to grow up in this lonely environment but because many adults spend even more “screen time” than their offspring. The headline picture in this article really says much of how this obsession with being “connected” online has taken over having a normal social life.

In 1994 I wrote an article for Logistics Information Management, (Vol. 7 No. 4, 1994),  entitled "Shaping Up for the Information Revolution" which commenced with this paragraph:

1994 is a watershed year. By the year’s end, there will be major changes in the way businesses operate. Telephone, cable, hardware and software companies are revamping the computing and communications infrastructure to create an information highway – a new popular network that will link the providers and consumers of information, entertainment, goods and services. The information highway will carry vast amounts of text, video, graphics and audio into our homes, schools and businesses, enabling a new information age based on the increased availability and flexibility of access to information, which promises to revolutionise our way of life just as railways did at the turn of the century. 

As someone who has worked in the Retail sector for over 50 years, I have often written about the impact of what is now referred to as “digital retailing” which I forecast back in 1994 with the following: "Few, if any, retailers have yet to make full use of this information and, while there have been many retail casualties over the last few years, there is little doubt that more will follow. Sophisticated methods of operation that incorporate full use of this information will not only provide a competitive advantage, but will become an essential long-term goal for all retailers hoping to survive beyond the end of the decade. If this were not enough, retailers will also face competition from an entirely new dimension, the information highway."

25 years on we still find retailers struggling between keeping their “bricks and mortar” stores profitable whilst, at the same time, endeavouring to capitalise on the financial benefits of online shopping to its full extent, but which I mean not only good value but great service, especially after-sales. A recent example of this struggle is the tie-up between Marks & Spencer and Ocado which will still take a further year before any effects will be felt by the retailer. So many retailers still believe that customers are loyal when we all know that this is no longer the case, something I have written about in many previous LinkedIn articles that can be found on my profile.

However, this short article was intended, not as yet another retail online/high street/CRM one but to highlight how the “information highway” has degenerated from hopes and dreams to, what Tim Berners-Lee, the British inventor of the world wide web, stated that "it has developed …. into the proverbial Frankenstein’s monster."

So has the advent of the “information highway” provided the benefits anticipated? Are our lives improved by online shopping, 24-hour multi-channel digital viewing, internet “social” media, “must have now” deliveries of cheap goods, often from poor nations driving their children to produce “wear once” clothing? Do we now have more leisure time by working remotely or are we, in fact, working longer hours and spending even less family time? Questions for another day and hopefully many to be answered in your comments.

In conclusion I do have concerns that we are seeing a few large international organisations, often controlled by people with few ethics, dominating the digital world, controlling lives by “harvesting” personal data and using subliminal marketing for their own financial gain. Perhaps this really does prove the dismal future that Nigel Kneale forecast nearly 50 years ago.