Digital Maoism

In the early nineties, when the digital future was bright and shiny, and virtual reality was a great white hope, Jaron Lanier was a prophet leading the herd, his was a sacred name that defined that movement. Today, after the dotcom crash, I almost don't hear of his name anymore. He re-surfaced recently.

Quoting from an entry about Jaron Lanier in Wikipedia:

In Edge magazine in May 2006, Lanier criticized the sometimes-claimed omniscience of collective wisdom (including expressions such as Wikipedia), describing it as "digital Maoism". This critique is further explored in an interview with him at the Philosopher's Zone where he is critical of the denatured effect which "removes the scent of people".