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Underground eXperts United File 238
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Underground eXperts United
Presents...
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[ The Internet Hysteria ] [ By The GNN ]
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THE INTERNET HYSTERIA
by THE GNN/DualCrew-Shining/uXu
(Note: This text is about a phenomena that is mainly concentrated to
Sweden. However, non-swedes might find it interesting as a bizarre
anthropological study.)
Internet is not a new invention, as we all know. It was not constructed
yesterday. But during nineteen ninety-four, more people connected
themselves to the net than ever before. Prima facie, this is certainly a
pretty nice development in the digital culture.
I say 'prima facie', because when one looks a bit further into the
phenomena one discovers several tragic details. Some new members of the
net have not connected themselves for the purpose of using it as it should
be used. Some besserwisser people need only around three seconds online
(some people does not even need that), before they immediately start to
make up new rules about how the net ought to work (socially, not
technically of course).
Then there are the other newbies, those who listen to the above people.
Suddenly, a huge amount of people scream for censorship and state
intervention. Internet cannot be stopped, they say, but it must be
controlled. And these people have not been online for more than a few
moments - but still they burst out in such radical claims.
Why is it so? Let me offer you a few suggestions.
I recently laid my hands on a monthly swedish magazine called
"Z.mag@zine", and there was no question about the fact that the magazine
was yet another desperate, and embarrassing, attempt to imitate Wired.
However, the magazine failed on several accounts with its little charade.
Who wants to read ten pages about some trendy celebrity that uses the
internet for sending email to his hip dudes in some other part of the
world? Such news might well work out in a magazine about gossip, but not
in one that indirectly claims to own the truth of the complete internet. A
magazine that openly has dedicated its contents to information about the
internet ought at least to have a staff that know what they are talking
about. Z Magazine does not fulfil that important criterion. Sometimes,
one wonders if they even have access to the net.
Internet is a massive construction, and it is easy to become overwhelmed
when you encounter it for the first time. Unfortunately, some overwhelmed
individuals (like the editor of Z Magazine) believe that they immediately
understand the importance of the net. In their eyes, the main part of the
internet is some World Wide Web site where you are able to throw snow
balls, or chat with a sleeping cat.
It is a shame that the newbies, when it comes to internet, should regard
these low-class magazines as the bible and the truth of the nets. They are
no sources of information, they are sources of misinformation.
Why? Is it something wrong with that? Could not people begin with
studying Z Magazine, and then move on to the real problems?
They could. But will they ever get so far if they are constantly fed
with worthless information about the net? One does not have to spend
several years on the net to realize that internet is more than snowballs.
It is a net of positive anarchy and freedom. A freedom that must be
protected. If it is not protected, Newspeech and Big Brother will gain
control. Z is not a healthy magazine for the internet. It takes the net
down to a low level; a level where the net is just a fun hobby for people
with a modem - nothing more.
The whole society suffers from a disease that could be called 'the
internet hysteria'. Some people wants to know everything about something,
but fails since they know nothing about it - but they try to give everyone
else the expression that they know everything. The ones who suffers from
this hysteria can only describe the net in certain words, like 'cyberspace
for cyberpunks'. It is only words, with no connection to what it is really
about. The whole net-culture is declined to a cool movement for cool
people, and that is for sure a sad sight.
But on the other hand there are also a few journalists and writers that
try to analyze and debate the internet in a more 'serious' fashion.
Tragically, even these people fail completely due to the fact that they are
more interested in exposing their pseudo-intellectual mind than trying to
understand what they have actually gone into. To this date, there must
have been over a dozen of articles in the daily press about the internet
culture from various writers, and not one of them have succeeded. Instead,
the articles have only made some people cry over the stupid contents and
puzzled others.
And in television talk-shows one can enjoy the latest misinformation
about the internet, presented by poets/police men/singers/stand-up
comedians and other celebrities with three-second experiences of the net.
Their 'debates' and 'views' on the subject are, to say the least,
horrifying. But even if they are only able to produce bullshit, they are
invited to speak; they are 'trendy enough' to talk about this 'new trendy
movement' called 'cyberpunk on the trendy infobahn' or equal.
The circus reminds one of the golden days of '83, when the government
decided that the whole swedish population should be educated in computer
technology. Then, however, the magic word was 'Vic-20', now it is
'Information Technology' and 'cyberspace'. The mutual thing with these
movements is the tragic fact that the ones in charge for this 'global
education' have no clue about what they are really talking about.
Back in 1983, the government decided that everyone should know how to
code Basic. Now, they want the population to know how to throw snow balls
on WWW. Is that really 'good' education? Of course not. It is just a
show made by, and presented to, amateurs.
Everything becomes even more embarrassing when some low-level
politicians connect themselves to the net. Used to their Big Brother
position in the non-electronic society, they immediately think that they
got the same power on the internet. 'Too much garbage','We need censorship'
and 'Someone ought to CONTROL the net' are unfortunately very usual
comments from these quasi-surfers on the net.
However, one may laugh at these clowns, but they may very well turn out
to become a threat against the net. Ordinary people whom yet have no
connection to the internet will listen to these misinformed individuals and
trust their opinions as the holy truth. With the mob on their side, the
electronic politicians may do whatever they feel to. They cannot control
the internet, but they can call for 'moral cleaning' (i.e 'spread certain
information that appeals to the party') - and that is for sure censorship,
but in a more delicate way.
"How many fingers am I showing, Winston?"
"Four."
"And if the party says that it is not four
fingers, but five - how many are there then?"
(Nineteen Eighty-Four)
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I know you really loved me, but my hands were tied.
I have nothing to do. ETEXT.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU /pub/Zines/UXU
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Personality goes a long way.
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uXu #238 Underground eXperts United 1995 uXu #238
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