Telecommunications and Internet in the future society: myths and realities

The Internet boom has led to the image of a global village, a totally communicated planet where national borders have no meaning and where the Internet and the information highway have become the path to solve any problem. Technological and scientific research has been conducted in order to exchange information through the telephone lines, which provide a solid platform for the new services related to the Internet such as E-mail, electronic commerce and Internet telephony. Non-technical issues should be taken into account in order to notice that not all the people an Earth are aware of the Internet and the new technological society. Many persons are not educated for those new technologies that are out of their reach. Indeed, even if they should be able to access a specific communications network, the new services would not be affordable for them economically and/or intellectually. This article presents indicators that magnify the problem: the gap between the rich and the poor, the educated and non-educated, the Internet-literate and illiterate. Reflections on several important issues are presented, and ultimately, the global village is questioned as a reality or just a new myth