A Conversation with Howard Rheingold

Part II: How Human Behavior is Changing
(Running time: 8:17)

When asked to comment on how technology is impacting human activity, Howard explains that amateurs--those without economic interest in the web--are playing a role in the evolution of technology as evidenced by the blogging phenomenon. Literacy as a result of technology is making a difference- "we will need to understand the dynamics of ad hoc collective action." He postulates that we may see a very different political election in 2008 because of how the populace can communicate. Adults and education systems are being challenged by the literacy of 14-year olds. Individuals, he argues, need to pay attention: "if you don't spend part of your time surfing the web, reading blogs, finding out what people are saying out there, you'll find yourself left behind."