This new stage of evolution is just beginning as our regional economy, once based on trees and airplanes, becomes further linked to the global information economy. Some local individuals and groups are beginning to ask those questions. They need to be considered in the context of many changes in the information environment in recent months and years. Internet connections allow people to transmit and access information, photos and artwork, even sound and video. Homeless people scan and respond to Internet information at the Seattle Public Library.
Internet cafes offer education and access.
Seniors trade information about telephone scams. They link isolated communities, provide a voice for the voiceless, and help people realize they're not alone in their concerns. They work best when moderated, and when there's a specific topic of burning interest to participants. Seattle school children communicate instantaneously with their counterparts in Japan, or follow their teacher's climb of Mount Everest, through the Internet. Rather than flying in an expert, for example, people can participate in meetings via two-way television hookups.