BOOK REVIEW
FutureNet: The past, present, and future of the Internet as told by its creators and visionaries

Richards, Sally. (2002). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
List Price $29.95, 304 Pages

Review by Holly Alexander Agati
Assistant Director for Programming, Office of Residence Life
College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
haagat@wm.edu

Posted: February 10, 2003     Student Affairs Online, vol. 4 no. 1 - Winter 2003

 Posted: February 10, 2003          Student Affairs Online, vol. 4 no. 1 (Spring 2003)

Sally Richards’ FutureNet explores the history of the Internet beginning with World War II through September 11, 2001. She then introduces some of the issues associated with the Internet. Finally, she interviews a number of individuals who are significantly involved in the past and future development of the Internet and their predictions for the future.

 

In Chapter 1, “Withstanding…,” Richards compares the events of Pearl Harbor with regard to communication systems with the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  She discusses how, without the Internet and email, people would not have been able to communicate with loved ones on September 11^th, especially when other communication systems, such as phone lines were maximized.  She also points out that the groundwork for the Internet was being developed around the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, initially for the government to develop a communication system that could withstand an event of mass destruction. She then introduces the reader to many of the initial developers of the Internet.

 

In her second chapter, “Adolescence,” Richards discusses the important fact that the Internet is constantly developing and the future of it is difficult to predict.  She explores many of the ways in which the Internet is being utilized from e-commerce to chat rooms to avatars. Although much of the Internet is being used for communication and knowledge, the Internet is still developing and the future is unknown.

 

In Chapter 3, “Issues,” Richards focuses primarily on three issues the Internet presents - encryption, copyright, and patents.  She reflects on legislation which has been developed and how it impacts Internet use. Even though several additional issues are briefly mentioned - privacy, spam, viruses and worms, issues of taxation - Richards did not discuss these important topics.

 

In Chapters 4 and 5, “Who Will? and “Futurescope,” Richards interviews and asks for predictions from about a dozen influential people in the industry.  The overall consensus is that the Internet’s future is difficult to predict.  Some potential uses range from a biotechnology interface to the Internet being transmitted by radio wave.

 

From a student affairs viewpoint, I did not find this book to be very helpful.  The author was often anecdotal and unless you were intimately familiar with the development of the Internet and the infrastructure, you may not realize the significance of the contributors and the future predictions.  I also did not find the book to be organized very well and found myself losing interest in the book quickly.