The interview with Williams covers how he perceives cyberspace and how it actually is. The more I read (and listened to it) it, the more I understand and agree how we do live in the world of Cyberspace. We do most of our banking and communication online anymore and we are expressing ourselves digitally in that sense. I also agree that cyberspace is fascinating and will not go away. I like how he puts our separation of body and mental state can be 'almost pathological growing out of this technology.'
He puts himself as normal and that most readers think of him as computer savvy when he's not. Gibson looks at the internet like a mall full of every bit of information that you can find like when you are on a highway looking for an exit for something important. The conversation on newsgroups about cyberspace and cyberpunk answers an interesting question about his books that makes me want to go check out his books. I like his answers when he states that 'talent can be shared regardless of the physical whereabouts, [and how the internet] it's got astonishing potential.' (Josefsson) He puts the argument of classes of the advantage and disadvantage into a perspective that I understand, all the while making a very interesting point about what everyone is interested in physically compared to what is actually available to the underprivileged and what they are not interested in! The article also covers stories that he writes of the social nightmares going on can be compared to real life.
William Gibson in his own words, states that social changes are continuing with the technology of the computer. He for himself, does not use the internet or have an e-mail address, or a modem. He literally suffers from agoraphobia of the internet which he compares to be afraid of the marketplace. He does state when he gets more time and it sufficiently less difficult to surf the net, he would use it.
If anyone would like to read this article I recommend it. It made me feel that I was privileged to be an internet commuter. Good reading.
Work Cited
Josefsson, Dan. "I Don't Even Have A Modem"
That seems very interesting that the article is about someone who doesn't even use the internet. I can understand his point about the internet being like a mall. I do see it like that too because there is just so much information available it is hard to find a specific topic you're looking for, I have ran into that many times when writing papers in the past.
ReplyDeleteWhen he says social changes are continuing with the technology of the computer, I can't help but see how what we were talking about in class factors in here with how mobile the internet is becoming. It is to the point where so many people have internet access on mobile devices that Gibson might not be able to avoid it much longer. As the internet is integrated into more and more aspects of life, and more industries are going digital he might be forced to use it eventually.
Doesn't fear stem from the unknown? I honestly didn't read the article. (I'm trusting your summary). So cyberspace being what it is perceived, it's still a tool, a facilitator of transmitting information. So why is it seen as this big evil? (Ok, I started to read the article then I saw it was written in double column like a newspaper and since I didn't feel like scrolling up and down up and down, I bagged out). In 1994 when the article was written the internet was new(ish) a vast frontier perhaps a wasteland. Is it the same internet now as they (he) saw it 15+ years ago? He does somewhat mention the digital divide being classed based and not available to the underclass. Back then, I would agree since the tool that we know as the PC wasn't as affordable then. Now, it is affordable but there is still a class structure. Maybe the lower class don't get internet, because they DON'T GET the internet.
ReplyDeleteI find Gibson interesting and he brings light an important issue on digital divide and social media. It is interesting that social change is always on the forefront every generation and intertwined with anxiety. Looking back to an equally turbulent times,social change of the 1960’s was plastered on every television and newspaper. Driven by media, civil right marches were portrayed as violent, often pitting parties against each other. Student protests, Women’s rights, JFK, Cuban Missile Crisis, Segregation, Drugs, Watt’s rights, Discrimination, and I could keep going on about the social strife in America. My point being is that social media and connectivity has created an awareness to issues that is instantaneous. Debates takes place everywhere, all the time, and fast! We can readily be alert to social change, issue, or crisis, and it is obtainable by everyone if they so choose! Information once was dictated by media and under governmental control. I am enthralled that I can choose my level of involvement and reduce my anxiety of social change, and I think the internet will lessen the fears as social media develops with technological advances. I hope Gibson decides to surf the net someday.
ReplyDeleteGibson is definitely. taking baby steps in the right direction. He seems to understand the importance of cyberspace and how much it influences our lives. As he writes about the social changes that are going on he is obviously very aware of how much people depend on technology in their every day lives.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't even know where to start if I didn't have email, the internet, or an iPhone. My world actually depends on these, I even have classes (not just this one) where the internet is a must. I understand his fear of the unknown, it took me a while to get use to the computer. I guess you could say I was a late bloomer, my kids actually know more than I do.
I can appreciate his comparing the internet to the mall. I personally prefer not going to the mall, and I do 90% of my shopping on the internet these days. So much easier and less hassle.
Just a clarification, this interview is from 1995. Gibson does use the internet and e-mail, and blogged quite a bit in the early 2000s. So everything in this interview predates almost everything that most of you know about operating online.
ReplyDeleteThinking back to 1995, I definitely had no internet connection, but a few years later, I was definitely all about being online, playing my free MUD on AOL and using Paint Shop Pro as my graphics program.
ReplyDeleteDespite all that, it isn't hard to see why someone could be afraid of the possibilities. One thing I'm learning is that privacy is becoming a valuable asset, and signing up for something using my e-mail isn't as innocuous as it was before. I never know who is bandying about my information for a few cents, if it is even worth that.
I think when he likens the internet to a mall I think his talking about a mall like the one in Edmondton or the Mall of America. A person could get completely lost and still survive because they have everything you need or would ever want. They are full of stores (websites) that can provide you with whatever information you may need. They're not like our little old TriCity Mall. His mall is the Super Mall.
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