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140 Steve Woolgarthe collusion of government, supply-side industries, and the media. Instead,they would be ready and equipped with an army of analytic tools and perspectives,poised to undertake a cool and considered appraisal of the claims beingpresented to them.How would this state of affairs come about? Through widespread educationin the social dimensions of new technologies! By 2015, we would have implementedprograms of learning and understanding throughout our schools,universities, and beyond such that any commentator failing to deploy a criticalanalytic skepticism would simply not be taken seriously. 7This vision nicely counterpoises the more familiar visions of societies radicallytransformed by new technology. It is significant for our purpose becauseit embodies what I suggest are some unique features of a growing Britishsensibility to new technologies. The specific feature of the British networksociety is that it reflects the inclination toward counter-intuition and analyticskepticism on the part of a growing number of its observers and analysts.NOTES1. Against the universalizing tendencies of much scholarship on the Internet – those that emphasizethe common global (and globalizing) features of the new communication technologies –this chapter queries the extent to which we can understand uniquely local experiences in termsof national characteristics.2. Three UK-based researchers obtained positions in overseas universities during the lifetime ofthe program.3. Shove and Rip (2000) use the figure of the unicorn to describe the mythical attributes andproperties accorded by research councils and others to the role of “the user.”4. Elsewhere (Woolgar and Cooper, 1999), it is argued that there are advantages to the positionof ambivalence as an alternative to the reasonable middle ground that is appealed to here.5. A neologism borrowed (with slightly adapted spelling) from Imken (1999: 102): “It is easy tomake long-term predictions and spew cyperbole [sic] that has no relation to reality, whethervirtual or actual.” In the current chapter “cyberbole” denotes the exaggerated depiction(hyperbole) of the capacities of cyber-technologies.6. They rather less frequently included many “user” or “consumer” interests.7. It is important to emphasize that analytic skepticism is not the same as cynicism. The envisagedattitude to new technologies is one of critical appraisal, not outright rejection.REFERENCESAgar, J., Green, S., and Harvey, P. (2002) “Cotton to Computers: From Industrial toInformation Revolutions,” in S. Woolgar (ed.), Virtual Society? Technology,Cyberbole, Reality, pp. 264–85. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Bakardjieva, M. (2003) “Dimensions of Empowerment: Criss-crossing the Politicaland the Mundane,” paper presented to the iCS/OII conference, Oxford, September17–20.Brown, S. D. and Lightfoot, G. (2002) “Presence, Absence and Accountability: E-mail