A process that is chaotic and self-organizing, utterly without a central plan. In other words, a market. The author ridicules vice president Al Gore's objective of universal access. He argued that governments are basically an obstacle to progress. The digital media cannot be compared to the television, as the market determinists would have us believe.
TV is basically a passive form of entertainment.
The new media require the active, informed, literate participation of a user. The pattern of TV growth will not be replicated, because purchase and use of the new media are skewed toward those who are literate and motivated for active participation. It is precisely those children who are disadvantaged in education, family income, and personal empowerment who will be least able and least motivated to embrace the new media. While access is critical for universality, it is also inadequate. It's not simply having access, but what you do with it that counts.