IP: Dvorak Commentary

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 08:12:59 -0500
> From: John Lyon <jelyon () jelyon com>
> To: <farber () cis upenn edu>
>
> I thought Dvorak's thoughts on the possible political clout of the "Tech
> Elite" might be of interest to the IP list.
>
> He points out that the "Digerati" tend to be fiscally conservative, socially
> liberal. I think there is a tendency towards Libertarianism among this class
> as well.
>
> The article is online at (watch for a wrapped URL):
>
> www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2784848,00.html?chkpt=zdnn_mh_comm
>
> "Why members of the tech elite have clout"
>
> By John C. Dvorak
> PC Magazine
> UPDATED July 23, 2001 5:22 AM PT
>
> COMMENTARY--The group could be called the Internet Class, the Digital Age
> Workers, or even the Digerati--a term popularized by writer/agent John
> Brockman in his book of the same title, which profiles the elite of the
> technology world. In the newest sense of the term, if you are reading this
> column, you would quite likely be categorized as one of the digerati. And
> apparently, you are about to become important, as a group, to politicos.
> Maybe now is the time to organize into a massive pressure group.
>
> <snip>
>
> This group holds common beliefs regarding technology and its importance.
> Thus, there is no reason that the digerati cannot become a force to be
> reckoned with. Right now, being one of the digerati is like being in a club
> and not knowing you're a member. According to Business Week, which prefers
> the cumbersome term Digital Age Worker, the members are described as
> "economically conservative, socially tolerant swing voters who live in
> suburbia." Not very specific, but it's the start of a real definition.
>
> <snip>
>
> I used to be a union man when I was in school and always worked during the
> summer in various union jobs. They paid well, and I learned a few things
> about labor. One thing was certain: The unions once had a lot of clout. They
> don't have as much any more. The same is true of the Moral Majority. What
> happened to them? The point is that these moments of political clout are
> fleeting. This opportunity is just emerging. Now is the time to use it to
> get our way. We just have to figure out what "our way" is before the moment
> is lost.
>
> There is no reason that the digerati cannot become a force to be reckoned
> with. Right now being one of the digerati is like being in a club and not
> knowing you're a member.
>
> <end of commentary>
>
> JEL
> ________________________________________________
> It's the economy, stupid - Clinton Campaign, '92
> It's the New Economy, stupid - John Lyon, '01



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