Comments on: The web is the real world http://12frogs.com/12/archives/2006/06/the-web-is-the-real-world/ read think get curious Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:27:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Taran Rampersad http://12frogs.com/12/archives/2006/06/the-web-is-the-real-world/comment-page-1/#comment-9901 Taran Rampersad Wed, 25 Oct 2006 08:31:12 +0000 http://12frogs.com/12/archives/2006/06/the-web-is-the-real-world/#comment-9901 Now I see I have found a good blog. :-) I'll have to revisit this, perhaps tomorrow. The segregation of real life and virtual life is a very natural way of separating what are two modes, and yet there are some of us who recognize these two 'modes' as indistinct; they are integral. And the generations which follow us will not understand why we separated them in the first place. But then, how do we communicate a virtual world to those who have not seen one? By separating modes. As internet penetration increases and access to what we call virtual worlds becomes less of an issue, the 'virtual world' phrases will... virtually disappear. :-) Now I see I have found a good blog. :-) I’ll have to revisit this, perhaps tomorrow. The segregation of real life and virtual life is a very natural way of separating what are two modes, and yet there are some of us who recognize these two ‘modes’ as indistinct; they are integral. And the generations which follow us will not understand why we separated them in the first place.

But then, how do we communicate a virtual world to those who have not seen one? By separating modes. As internet penetration increases and access to what we call virtual worlds becomes less of an issue, the ‘virtual world’ phrases will…

virtually disappear. :-)

]]> By: Ari Davidow http://12frogs.com/12/archives/2006/06/the-web-is-the-real-world/comment-page-1/#comment-2848 Ari Davidow Fri, 02 Jun 2006 15:19:14 +0000 http://12frogs.com/12/archives/2006/06/the-web-is-the-real-world/#comment-2848 I used to think that having a digital record would change things. If nothing else, it would make it easier for truth to out. But human nature hasn't changed. Around 1990 I was co-moderating a discussion on an online system (the WELL). One of the conference participants got pissed at us and began posting all over the board that we had removed his posts. We hadn't. Two months later, having failed to convince board participants to look and see the posts that were there, on the same board with the messages claiming that we had removed them, it sank in that as much as digital networks extend our ability to reach one another, they don't change our tendencies to not look, to see as we are, rather than as things are. This is neither good nor bad, and your reminder that hysteria about new media is nothing new, is most welcome. Sadly, I don't think that we are going to learn to treat our digital representations humanly until we learn to treat each other humanly. But that also means that our positive sense of humanity is as present on the web as elsewhere. I used to think that having a digital record would change things. If nothing else, it would make it easier for truth to out.

But human nature hasn’t changed. Around 1990 I was co-moderating a discussion on an online system (the WELL). One of the conference participants got pissed at us and began posting all over the board that we had removed his posts. We hadn’t. Two months later, having failed to convince board participants to look and see the posts that were there, on the same board with the messages claiming that we had removed them, it sank in that as much as digital networks extend our ability to reach one another, they don’t change our tendencies to not look, to see as we are, rather than as things are.

This is neither good nor bad, and your reminder that hysteria about new media is nothing new, is most welcome. Sadly, I don’t think that we are going to learn to treat our digital representations humanly until we learn to treat each other humanly. But that also means that our positive sense of humanity is as present on the web as elsewhere.

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