The New York Times takes a look at Michael Goldhaber, who predicted many of the problems the internet would bring along with its many benefits. Key quote:

While Mr. Goldhaber said he wanted to remain hopeful, he was deeply concerned about whether the attention economy and a healthy democracy can coexist. Nuanced policy discussions, he said, will almost certainly get simplified into “meaningless slogans” in order to travel farther online, and politicians will continue to stake out more extreme positions and commandeer news cycles. He said he worried that, as with Brexit, “rational discussion of what people stand to gain or lose from policies will be drowned out by the loudest and most ridiculous.

Read the full story for a fascinating profile.

Source: Michael Goldhaber, the Cassandra of the Internet Age – The New York Times