next billion

Two takes over the w/e on the cultural impact of the internet. Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, says,

'If you think the internet has transformed the way we live, the way we work and - crucially - the way we learn about the world, imagine what happens ... when the next billion people come online, as will happen in the next five or 10 years ... What an extraordinary wealth of local knowledge they will bring.' [Article appeared in yesterday's Observer, but not yet online.]

Tyler Cowen, economics prof and Marginal Revolution blogger, gave a talk on Saturday (blogged at Arts Admin) saying the last five years have seen more changes to the way we consume culture than at any other period. Will these changes kill the performing arts? He doesn't think so. At the end the day, people still want to go out.