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CHAPTER 13/CONCLUDiNG REMARKS 191
This problem of the haves vs. the have-nots should be resolved by every con-
ceivable means. It is predicted that the gap will increase between the haves and the
have-nots as the information age progresses. To overcome this gap, the following
measures should be taken.
(1) The cost of computers and information infrastructures must become afford-
able so everyone can access the network and communicate and work together over
the network.
(2) Human-friendly human-machine interfaces should be developed by which
everyone can access the network. To achieve this, an intelligent agent should be
installed in the system that will give an understandable introduction on how to gain
access to and use the system.
(3) Education to enhance information literacy should be conducted. Every one
has his or her skill level in using a computer and the network. Personal education
should be planned and conducted based on a person's skill level. In general, young
people can easily understand computers and the network because they are accus-
tomed to computers as game machines. In contrast, many older people have diffi-
culty understanding them. Thus, education should match skill level. And because
gaps exist among countries, international conferences and forums must be held to
ensure that these gaps dissolve in the future.

13.7 LIGHT AND SHADOW OF MULTIMEDIA-BASED
SOCIETY

As mentioned many times already, the intelligent communication system will have
a great impact on our daily lives and ways of life. Through its introduction, the
paradigms around us will be greatly changed. In particular, a manufacturer-based
economy will become a customer-based economy. Everyone, young or old, will
have access to a computer and the communication network. Everyone will be able
to join together to work cooperatively over the network as if we were gathered in
the same real place. The barriers of time and space will disappear in the informa-
tion age. The styles of our daily lives and even our ways of thinking will be
changed. The combination of physical reality and virtual reality will bring sub-
stantial surprise and excitement to human beings. We will enter this new world and
have experiences we've never had before.
On the other hand, many of the problems of industrialization, such as energy
shortage and population explosion, have been pointed out and focused on. If we
want to survive on earth, we should think about these problems, seek solutions,
and improve the current situation. If we try to solve these problems, we will surely
find the solutions. But if we continue to act as we have been acting, the pollution,
environmental degradation, and excessive energy consumption will be big prob-
lems in the future.