As mentioned by Alan right at the beginning of his answer, the true visionary behind our current technological age was Licklider. He was an ARPA researcher who,

As mentioned by Alan right at the beginning of his answer, the true visionary behind our current technological age was Licklider. He was an ARPA researcher who, it is argued [1], initially dreamt up the connected network we now know as the internet. Interestingly, when an early iteration of the 'net was put to UCLA academics, they refused to get involved! [1] Sharon Weinberger, The Imagineers of War (2017).