比尔盖茨谈《未来之路》25年后：做出的正确和错误的预测(4)

《未来之路》中的另一个核心想法——支持前所未有的社交网络的技术——现在已基本成为了现实。可令我感到惊讶的是，社交网络既使我们连接在一起，又促成了一个更加分化的氛围。我没想到有那么多人会选择过滤掉与自己不同的观点，并更加坚持自己的观点。
One thing I wrote about that hasn’t happened yet—but I still think will happen—is the way the Internet will affect the structure of our cities。 Today the cost of living in a dense downtown， like Seattle’s， is so high that many workers （including teachers， police officers， and baristas） can’t afford to live there。 Even high earners spend a disproportionate percentage of their income on rent。
As a result， some cities are arguably too successful， and others are not successful enough。 It’s a real problem for our country。
我写的另一件尚未发生的事——但我仍然认为会发生——是互联网将影响我们城市的结构。如今，在人口密集的市中心（像西雅图闹市区）生活的成本是如此之高，以至于许多工人（包括教师、警察和咖啡师）无法负担在那里生活。即使是高收入者，也要将其收入的很大一部分用于支付房租。因此，可以说有些城市过于成功，而另一些城市则不够成功。对于我们国家来说，这是一个真正的问题。
But as digital technology makes it easier to work at home， then you can commute less often。 That， in turn， makes it more attractive to live farther away from the office， where you can afford a bigger house than in the city center。 It also reduces the number of cars on the road at any given time。 Over time， these shifts would mean major changes in the ways our cities work and are built。