ABSTRACT
Although there is little argument that the technology exists now in many countries for the widespread development of both teletext and viewdata systems, there is much speculation about the possible benefits and drawbacks of such systems for journalists, the larger society, and other media. Most of the thinking and writing with regard to the effects of teletext and viewdata is speculation and conjecture—not surprising given the relative newness and limited diffusion of videotex—and most of it can be classified as either "optimistic" or "pessimistic," with a few views in the "mixed reactions" camp. This chapter reviews some of these views of videotex and pulls together the harder evidence from some of the few systematic studies that presently exist.
