Abstract
This panel will address the place we envision for shared virtual environment applications in our society's future. Email, instant messaging, and chat have had profound effects upon the way we communicate, learn, and live.The ubiquity of high-bandwidth network connections and powerful desktop graphics may lead to widespread deployment of shared VE applications. Yet the promises of cyberspace are aging rapidly, and there is no clear consensus on the technological requirements of global immersion.The panelists have distinguished themselves both as visionaries, and as architects of real systems. They will present their hopes for the next generation of shared VE applications, as well as their thoughts on how those applications will shape our society.