Most of the people in this latter segment of responders came to the survey by invitation because they are on the e-mail list of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. They are not necessarily opinion leaders for their industries or well-known futurists, but it is striking how much their responses were distributed in ways that paralleled those who are celebrated in the technology field or are affiliated with premier academic or industry organizations. More detail regarding the respondents is included in the introduction and “Biographies” section of the full report.
This report presents the views of respondents in two ways. First, we cite the aggregate views of those who responded to our survey. These answers strike us as most interesting for the fact that there is such wide variance in their views about whether the general direction of technological change will be helpful or harmful to people. Second, we have quoted many of their opinions and predictions in the body of this report.
Respondents React to Seven Scenarios About the Future
Respondents were asked if they agreed or disagreed with seven scenarios about the future. They were given the opportunity to elaborate on their answers. The scenarios—woven from material collected in recent industry and research reports and predictive statements by leaders in science, technology, business, and politics—were layered with overlapping elements to spur discussion and elicit nuanced views of the future. They were constructed in a way to provoke responses and conversation. They were not written to reflect the views of the Pew Internet Project or Elon University about the most likely or desirable future. Neither Pew Internet nor Elon takes positions on the policy matters or forecasts the likely impact of technological change.
In many cases, respondents’ written answers indicate that they agreed with one part of the scenario and disagreed with another, so their final answer was often a qualified “agree” or “disagree”—with elaboration that sometimes reflected the respondents’ challenges to the nature of the scenario we drafted.