November 20, 2002: The Internet - Howard Rheingold
Podcast: The Art Bell ArchivePublished On: Sat May 24 2025
Description: Art Bell interviews technology author Howard Rheingold about the social implications of the Internet and mobile communication revolution. The conversation opens with the staggering growth of connectivity, from a few hundred thousand users a decade earlier to nearly half a billion people online, and Rheingold argues that the convergence of telephones, personal computers, and the Internet will produce something fundamentally new and more transformative than any individual component.Rheingold describes how text messaging has already toppled governments, citing the fall of Philippine President Estrada when citizens coordinated mass demonstrations through SMS within minutes. He draws parallels to collective action throughout human evolution, from tribal hunting bands to agricultural societies, arguing that each communication technology has enabled cooperation at greater scales. The discussion covers peer-to-peer file sharing threatening the recording industry's business model, eBay's reputation system enabling trust between strangers, and the potential for wearable computers and location-aware devices to reshape daily life.Art presses Rheingold on privacy concerns surrounding the newly created Information Awareness Office under Admiral Poindexter, and both express alarm at mass surveillance of email, web browsing, credit card purchases, and cell phone location data. Rheingold warns that trading freedom for security may undermine the very freedoms being protected. The first hour features Mark Burnett discussing Survivor, Eco Challenge, and his pursuit of a civilian space travel television project.
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