Will the Internet really improve the lives of most ordinary people? I think so, yes, but not in a simple way. More efficiency in everything we do will not in itself make people happier, and will remove some things from our lives that, while not so efficient economically, do contribute more directly to our happiness. It probably won't be long before people will begin to miss the need to drive around town and stand in lines. And all this inexpensive smoothly-flowing information will make it even harder to develop an intuitive understanding of how the world works; so much will happen so mysteriously and so quickly that people will less often feel that their own actions have any significance.
http://www.brecheen.org/cbrecheen/Entry2001-03-03.htm; © 2001 Cole Brecheen; All Rights Reserved.