"Rushkoff, Douglas - Cyberia" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rushkoff Douglas)

does so, he is locked out of the system.
Stink tries to log on and receives the message, but he doesn't call in. Days pass. The
issue seems dead. But topics about Stink and the implications of his mischievous presence
begin to spring up all over the WELL. Many applaud the banishment of Stink, while others
warn that this is the beginning of censorship. How,'' someone asks, "can we call ourselves an
open, virtual community if we lock out those who don't communicate the way we like? Think
of how many of us could have been kicked off the WELL by the same logic?'' What are we,
Carebears?'' another retorts. "This guy was sick!''
David lets the arguments continue, defending the WELL staff's decision-making
process where he can, stressing how many painful hours were spent deliberating on this issue.
Meanwhile, though, he begins to do some research of his own and notices that Stink's last
name--not a common one--is the same as another user of the WELL called Bennett. David
takes a gamble and E-mails Bennett, who tells him that he's seen Stink's postings but that
there's no relation.
But the next day, there's a new, startling addition to a special confession'' conference:
Bennett admits that he is Stink. Stink's WELL account had been opened by Bennett's brother
but never used. Bennett reopened the account and began using it as a joke, to vent his "alter
ego.'' Free of his regular identity, he could be whoever he wanted and act however he dared
with no personal repercussions. What had begun as a kind of thought experiment or acting
exercise had soon gotten out of hand. The alter ego went out of control. Bennett, it turns out,
was a mild-mannered member of conferences like Christianity, and in his regular persona had
even consoled a fellow WELLbeing after her husband died. Bennett is not a hacker-kid; he
has a wife and children, a job, a religion, a social conscience, and a fairly quiet disposition.
He begs for the forgiveness of other WELLbeings and says he confessed because he felt so
guilty lying to David Gans about what had happened. He wants to remain a member of the
cyber community and eventually regain the trust of WELLbeings.
Some WELLbeings believe Bennett and forgive him. Others do not. He just confessed
because he knows you were on to him, David. Good work.'' Some suggest a suspension, or
even a community service sentence: "Isn't there some administrative stuff he can do at the
WELL office as penance?''
But most people just wonder out loud about the strange cyber experience of this
schizoid WELLbeing, and what it means for the Global Village at large. Was Bennett like
this all the time and Stink merely a suppressed personality, or did Cyberia affect his psyche
adversely, creating Stink where he didn't exist before? How vulnerable are the rest of us when
one goes off his virtual rocker? Do the psychology and neurosis of everyday real-life human
interactions need to follow us into cyberspace, or is there a way to leave them behind? Just
how intimate can we get through our computers, and at what cost?

CHAPTER 4
Interfacing with the Technosphere

The evolution of computer and networking technology can be seen as a progression
toward more user-friendly interfaces that encourage hypertext-style participation of both the
computer illiterate and those who wish to interact more intimately in Cyberia than can be
experienced by typing on a keyboard. DOS-style printed commands were replaced by the
Macintosh interface in the late 1970s. Instead of typing instructions to the computer, users
were encouraged to click and drag icons representing files across their screens and put them
wherever they wanted, using the now-famous mouse. But this has all changed again with the
development of virtual reality, the computer interface that promises to bring us into the
matrix--mind, body, and soul.