Boundary Stories Nearly Virtual Cultures

A summary of:
Stone, A. R. 1991. Will the existent torso delight stand upwards up?: boundary stories virtually virtual cultures. In Cyberspace: First Steps, M. Benedikt, Ed. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 81-118.
(Part 2)

Stone likewise describes a virtual community called CommuniTree, which began ambitiously as “a community that promised radical transformation of existing gild in addition to the emergence of novel social forms” (88). It was born out of New Age, seemingly, as the writers of the How To manual was a “rich intermingling of spiritual in addition to technological imagery” alongside chapters such as “’Downscale, please, Buddha’, in addition to ‘If you lot run into the electronic avatar on the road, laserblast hir!’” (89). I suppose this is a lesson virtually how non to depict spiritual applied scientific discipline inwards my PhD, lest it operate laughable 30-40 years later. How easily discussions virtually spiritual applied scientific discipline tin flame lean toward the ridiculous if words are non chosen carefully in addition to earnestly.

Unfortunately, CommuniTree failed: “Within a few months, the Tree had expired, choked to expire alongside what 1 player called ‘the consequences of liberty of expression’” (91). That seems ominous. I suppose it’s a lesson virtually a lack of role that members could coalesce around, something which requires idea in addition to design. This does imply or in addition to thence necessitate for control: “Thus, inwards practice, surveillance in addition to command proved necessary adjuncts to maintaining monastic enjoin inwards the virtual community” (91).

I should in all probability written report CommuniTree in addition to its expire inwards to a greater extent than detail. I should likewise in all probability accept a hold back at or in addition to thence other early on community in addition to reckon what inspiration tin flame live mined from it, namely Habitat, designed past times Chip Morningstar in addition to Randall Farmer (93).

I accept noticed that “success” of a virtual community tends to live measured inwards the amount of fourth dimension people pass on it. I’m starting to wonder if this is a useful criterion for an option vision of the Internet. Is less exactly to a greater extent than meaningful appointment a to a greater extent than useful metric? – for sure nosotros don’t aspire to live plugged into our computers to a greater in addition to greater extent!

There is a quote inwards this chapter from Steve Williams: “The illusion volition live in addition to thence powerful you lot won’t live able to say what’s existent in addition to what’s not” (99). This made me recall that 1 could as brand this commutation – in addition to this is the 1 that interests me: ‘The illusion volition live in addition to thence powerful you lot won’t live able to say what’s valuable in addition to what’s not’; i.e. the to a greater extent than nosotros are engaged alongside a applied scientific discipline that seeks an illusionary, mesmerizing power, the less nosotros are able to recognize our ain human values as form from those generated past times the technology.