THE SOCIAL SHAPING OF VIDEOTEX - HOW INFORMATION-SERVICES FOR THE PUBLIC HAVE EVOLVED

''Videotex'' was an early incarnation of what have been more recently called ''end-user information services.'' This article considers the o rigins and historical development of videotex over three decades, comp aring various nationally sponsored and private systems in Europe and N orth America, and discussing reasons given for the ''failure'' of vide otex. The influence of nontechnical factors on videotex and perception s of critical problems and acceptable solutions are described. Accordi ng to this interpretation, the development of videotex faced four ''bo ttlenecks'' at once: the determination of transmission channels; the c hoice of a display device; agreement on coding standards; and the mark eting of the resulting services. In how it accommodated these problems , videotex provides an example of how social, political, and economic elements are inseparable from technical constraints in the development of new information technologies.