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If we had asked that question directly, my guess is that we would have had a split verdict. In the end, this group has a mixed view of humans themselves. On the one hand, respondents see people as capable of retaining control of the technology they have created. On the other hand, they fret that the human race in toto perhaps is not up to the job of living masterfully in the techo-world to come.
That uncertainty is reason enough to continue asking these kinds of questions and eliciting reaction to possible scenarios. By the same token, this book is also meant to provoke your reaction and inspire your own contribution. We invite you to add your own insights to the collective intelligence amassed at http://www.imaginingtheinternet.org. Why bother Because, eventually, we will be feeling the results.
Lee Rainie, Director
Pew Internet & American Life Project
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