Abstract: “Internet Run By Space Alien” claims one tabloid. Whatever the Internet is now and will be in the future, it is getting more difficult to escape it: e-mail addresses are quoted on the radio, and parents worry about the impact of alt.sex.bizarre on their children. The Internet, the non-commercial segment of the information superhighway, has evolved from an arcane priesthood into a post office, a library, a newspaper, a shopping mall-even a place to find long-lost friends. The Internet reduces travel costs, fosters academic collaboration, and disseminates information efficiently. What can different kinds of people expect from the Internet? There are many optimistic possibilities: freedom, learning, democracy, equality, and community. Also, of course, the pessimistic possibilities…

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