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 This raises the specter of U.S. informational domination. Yes, a lot of people in Europe usually browse the U.S., as that is where most of the content is. To be frightened by this would be to give up and imagine that once Europe has caught on to the Web, it will have nothing to say for itself, nothing to create, no culture to celebrate. If you think that, stop reading, stop thinking. In Europe we have a challenge to communicate more between cultures. The great thing, of course, is that if one does go to the effort of bridging the gaps, the rewards are so much greater. The Web removes the geographical impediment to mixing-but will the cultural barriers survive? Will we end up with a |
global mono-culture or a mix of cyberspace meeting places of unlimited variety? To answer these questions, we have to imagine a European household of the future. Let's suppose we end up with screens everywhere. We have a big screen in the living room, a small one on a bracket on the kitchen wall, and pocket-size ones that, like ball-point pens, are always available, no matter how many you lose. Each provides a window onto the Web. In your Dutch home the kitchen screen's preset buttons may be set to your favorite info places: the weather map, the school parent's reminder page, an oldies video station and the family's E-mailboxes. One is set to the Website of an Italian town twinned with yours, where you are learning language and art from your Net friend Antonia. Ready for a change of culture, you link through to Italy while filling the dishwasher. Meanwhile, in comes your eldest son. He has just reached the age of digital choice. Your rights to select sites suitable for his viewing have ended, and he flourishes his newly won Netcard with studied carelessness as  3 of 5
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