How scalable global networks are changing our media, our communities, and our businesses.

A broadband network can in concept bring every telephone conversation in America directly to every telephone; one could join any conversation just by picking up the receiver. In short order, every entertainment event in the world could connect to every receiver or personal activity. These possibilities are the result of both the speed of the Internet and the fact that it is designed to maintain multiple, simultaneous, worldwide connections. Our challenge is to evolve visual media to this inherently group-forming environment. Current examples include distributed video where every receiver is a server, interaction schema where images are navigated by direct interaction with objects that surround us, and conversational, iterative media navigational aids.