Our Ability to Cry (Project 2 Revisions)

The invention of the computer, a transformational invention, has lead to the creation of an entirely new world we now refer to as Cyberspace. In The Master Switch, Tim Wu states that the computer’s, “general purpose would be to augment human intelligence and help humans negotiate life’s complexities” (Wu, 171). While the computer has allowed for new opportunities, large corporations, because of their dominance over the Internet and the world of Cyberspace, alter the way in which we can use our computer. These mega corporations have so much control over the Internet that they have become more powerful than the Internet users. William Gibson, author of Neuromancer, imagined a world where console cowboys and gentleman losers controlled the Internet. Unfortunately, the future actually lies in the hands of the mega corporations, as demonstrated by the history of the cycle and our inability to separate from our own human qualities such as crying.  

The cycle demonstrates the idea that, throughout history, new technologies have emerged by the individual inventor but then taken over by mega corporations. Wu defines the cycle as, “the oscillation of information industries between open and closed systems” (Wu, 6). Larger companies with more power and money are in control of the ideas of individuals. Individuals have to either sell their idea to a large company, so they can market the product, or they can try to challenge the companies. Either way the mega corporations dictate what the individual can do. One example of this corporate dominance is the battle of the Mesa Telephone Company versus the Bell Company. Edmund Burch, a farmer living in the country, decided to wire his own telephone network (Wu, 309). Because of his isolated location Bell would not build a telephone network in his area. Burch’s idea grew and he began to build more wires where Bell would not. His group gained a lot of power and became known as the Independents, rivaling the largest telephone company in existence (Wu, 309). However, their success was short lived, and eventually Mesa and the Independents gave up and sold out to the mighty Bell Company (Wu, 53). Despite the idea that, “markets are born free," in reality, "no sooner are they born than some would-be emperor is forging chains” (Wu, 310). Burch’s idea was free, but he soon had to succumb to Bell because an infant company can rarely rival an emperor and claim victory.

            The cycle and dominance by a larger power also holds true in the invention of the FM radio. It was a conflict of interests between the individual inventor, Edwin Armstrong, and the most powerful man in American Broadcasting, David Sarnoff. Armstrong invented FM radio and decided to present the idea to Sarnoff. Sarnoff thought the FM technology would be a revolution, not something he wanted, as he believed AM radio should remain in control and the invention of television should be promoted (Wu, 129).  Sarnoff convinced the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to restrict FM broadcasting to one, narrow band. These restrictions placed on FM technology, “shows that perhaps the most effective way to gain power over the future is to dictate popular assumptions” (Wu, 130). The government and people in powerful positions and companies can control new technologies and how we are allowed to use them.  Since Sarnoff was the king of American Broadcasting, he was able to be the sole decider of the introduction of a new technology. He determined that AM technology should remain the source of radio and the television should entice the public, thereby convincing the public of his beliefs and in turn shaped the future.   The examples found in the Master Switch demonstrate how the cycle keeps repeating; large corporations always overtake the subordinate inventors. The cycle will hold true in the future because there will always be a desire for a company to eliminate competition. The mega corporations will grow in power by controlling Cyberspace and dictating how we are permitted to use it. I think the aspiration to be the best, to make the most money, and to wield the most control is the driving force behind today’s inventions.  I believe that the mega corporations will continue to tower over the individual, as they will not succumb to citizens taking over their world of business. These mega corporations regulate innovation and, while that can mean we are not introduced to all new innovations, it does leave the world less chaotic. Individuals competing against other individuals in Cyberspace would result in the type of atmosphere described in Neuromancer. Gibson’s future was portrayed as dark and sinister, where as Wu’s, while slightly less depressing, was at least a stable environment.  The cycle is predictable, and I think the future will be more similar to what we know, rather than a switch in power. History demonstrates the continuation of the cycle and there is little hope for deviation.

The continuation of mega corporations that will be more powerful than the users of the technological devices is based on the idea of open and closed systems. Lessig, author of  “Open Code and Open Societies” explains the open society of the Internet mentioned in Neuromancer as, “A space built on a commons… where the resource of the net was left open for innovation; all could draw upon its riches; no one could close another out” (Lessig, 14). An open society allows for new innovation, an explanation for why Gibson presented so many innovative technologies in his book. In a closed society, innovation will still take place, but it does not reach the potential it could in an open society. Although open now, the cycle explains that in the future the Internet will become a closed system run by mega corporations. Individuals are limited in their innovation and in their potential by the control of the mega corporations because the closed system pushes its regulation on the openly designed Internet. Thus negating the comments of John Barlow, author of “The Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace,” who opposes a closed system, argues, “We must declare our virtual selves immune to your sovereignty, even as we continue to consent to your rule over our bodies. We will spread ourselves across the Planet so that no one can arrest our thoughts. We will create a civilization of the Mind in Cyberspace. May it be more humane and fair than the world your governments have made before” (Barlow, 2). Barlow is addressing mega corporations and expressing his desires to be free in Cyberspace without any type of regulation. He wants to live in a society similar to what Gibson imagined and become a console cowboy.

             Gibson and Barlow both describe a future where the players have the most power and larger corporations fall at the wayside. Console cowboys and gentlemen losers have power and intelligence, something that I believe we possess now. However, it is their mindset and ability to separate themselves from normal human qualities that allows them to gain power and enforce an open system in Cyberspace. I think that to become as powerful as Molly, a tough character in Neormancer, we will need to adopt her way of life. We will need blades to come out of our fingertips and glasses that stop our tear ducts (a sign of weakness); in essence, we will have to become inhuman to overtake the mega corporations (Gibson, 122). This is why the cycle will continue; we still want the connection to the natural world and to the characteristics that make us human, like our personality and our ability to cry. I doubt that the vast majority of individuals will consider it acceptable to jack into a matrix, let alone alter themselves to survive and become more powerful in cyberspace. I believe we still want separation between Cyberspace and the natural world. While Cyberspace does consume some people, the majority still enjoys what the natural world has to offer, like human-to-human contact and conversations. I think more people will become addicted to alternative virtual worlds in the future, but I believe these gamers will be outnumbered by people still fully living in the natural world, people that value the outdoors, a real family, a real education and the pursuit of a degree and job. If we were to live in virtual words our need for education would become obsolete, no one would have time to pay attention to watch the world news or even read a book. I do not think the majority of people could give up these luxuries to immerse themselves in an alternative world, where nothing is actually real. 

            Interestingly, Gibson does not mention any “regular humans” in his projection of the future, ones that enjoy the outdoors or getting an education. I think this is because to finally break the cycle of mega corporations we will have to cut our ties to humanity and our need for the natural world. We will have to become cold and heartless to be as powerful as the large companies in control of technology now. Molly states, “Except sometimes I do hurt people. I guess it’s just the way I’m wired” (Gibson, 25).  Gibson projects that humans will become wired; we will mesh flesh with technology. In contrast, Wu’s idea of the future describes the mega corporations in control of the wires of the Internet and Cyberspace. A closed society will exist with changes in technology being tightly restricted, but we will still have our human like qualities and characteristics instead of living in an open society where we become almost inhuman. Cyberspace and the introduction of consensual hallucination would mean a whole new world where the dynamic of our society would change. Change is not bad, just like the introduction of cellular technology in cyberspace has allowed for more opportunities. However the future looks different than what Gibson presents.

            Based on the history of the cycle, and our inability to disconnect from the natural world to become less human, I believe that mega corporations will always be more powerful than the users of the technology. We would regress to an era where cowboys, men on horses, would be powerful on the open range. Today, the open range has been replaced by a closed system. In the future, under mega corporations’ control, more people will be addicted and consumed by virtual worlds as their desire to extend their existence into cyberspace grows. This will occur because cyberspace equals opportunities regardless of your profession or image and allows each person involved in a virtual world to maximize their potential. In the future I believe, as the mega corporations become more powerful and leave less room for individuals to become successful and innovative, individuals will try to find alternatives through gaming. While I believe Wu accurately predicts our future, I think that the some of these new found abilities of becoming successful in cyberspace are ways in which individuals will gain some power, just not to the extent of those of mega corporations. 

Works Cited

Barlow, John Perry. A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace.

San Francisco, CA: Electronic Frontier Foundation, 1996. Web.

https://projects.eff.org/%7Ebarlow/Declaration-Final.html

Gibson, William. Neuromancer . New York: Ace Books, 1984. Print.

Lessig, Lawrence. “Open Code and Open Society.” Lessig Unpublished Work, 1 June 2000. Web. 25

February 2011. Web.  http://www.lessig.org/content/unpublished/

Wu, Tim. The Master Switch. New York: Knopf, 2010. Print.

After watching the movie “Second Skin,” I was in disbelief. Here were gamers so involved in these virtual worlds that their lives outside the game were almost nonexistence. I was personally shocked by the one man whose wife had twins and yet he only slightly cut back on his hours playing World of Warcraft instead of giving up gaming to help out more often and/or spend time with his children. These gamers go to their nine to five job and then dive right into their virtual world. It is to the point that they are so consumed by the game that they use their vacation days to play World of Warcraft. Their friendships and relationships are only real in their gaming world. Natural world friendships are almost nonexistence. I understand the desire to game, to have equal opportunities and have the chance to be becoming the best at something. Starting off in a game the playing field level it doesn’t matter if you have a disability or if you are overweight or if you are shy, everyone has the opportunity to become a master of the game, but what I wondered after watching “Second Skin” was how this gaming addiction could be monitored and/or regulated. Gaming addiction can be deadly. It can ruin people’s relationships, friendships, and jobs in the natural world, but at the same time it can be a place where people find their significant other or a group of friends to fit in with. However, gaming addictions are just like alcoholism and drug addictions. Drugs are illegal and there are laws about consuming alcohol, but our society has no regulation on how often people game. Gaming addictions are just as dangerous as drugs, but the question is how could gaming be regulated? I am unsure how gaming should be restricted, but mostly because I see the value in gaming and at the same time I see the negative consequences. The other issue besides the pros and cons is the logistics of restricting gamers. How can the government limit the number of hours someone plays a game? 

I have never played an online game before, so I have trouble relating to Julian Dibbell in his book, Play Money. I have difficulty understanding the type of people that basically live in a virtual world and thrive in Second Life. Corbett author of the article “Portrait of an Artist as an Avatar” describes Second Life as, “It being all just a digital swirl, a series of scripted animations and graphically sculptured landscapes that can seem hypervivid and at the same time totally surreal” (1). I have never even played video games for more than twenty minutes because growing up my brother would never let me play. As I get older the interest to play virtual games is slowly disappearing, as I do not have an abundant amount of free time anymore to play or dip into a virtual world. I know that people fall in love, build houses and make money online in these virtual worlds, but yet I have trouble understanding it because I don’t know what it is like to have such a disconnect from the real world. I think that living in a “digital swirl” would be confusing distinguishing between when your real life basically becomes your virtual life. I have trouble believing that the person you meet in a virtual world is someone you want to marry and the money you make online is a real business venture. I think Second Life is like a drug in a way, so addicting and consuming that the decisions you make in the virtual do not always make sense like getting married to a total stranger. Living a virtual world means you can be whoever you want to be regardless of stereotypes. You can invent a whole new life equipped with a new body, house, significant other, and income. I realize that this new technology has literally changed some people’s way of life and wonder how long it will be or if it will become the accepted norm to lead a completely separate life online, separate from the natural world. A future of disconnect scares me a little as I yet to experience the benefits of living in a virtual world, but I look forward to learning how Dibbell is able to survive by trading online goods and creating an entirely new job for himself in Second Life. 

Console Cowboys versus Megacorporations

The Internet was created with the vision that the, “general purpose of the machine would be to augment human intelligence and help humans negotiate life’s complexities” (Wu, 171). While this vision has come true, large corporations alter the way in which we use the Internet and the world of Cyberspace. These mega corporations have so much control over the Internet that they are seen as more powerful than the Internet users. While Gibson imagined a world with console cowboys and gentleman losers having more control, the future actually lies in the hands of the mega corporations based on history, the cycle, our inability to separate from our human qualities.

Wu defines the cycle as, “the oscillation of information industries between open and closed systems” (Wu, 6). It demonstrates the idea that throughout history new technologies have emerged by the lone inventor and are later taken over by mega corporations. Larger companies with more power and money always suppress individuals with innovative ideas. One example of this is the Mesa Telephone Company versus the Bell Company. Edmund Burch, a farmer, decided to wire his own telephone network because of his isolated location Bell would not build one. Burch’s idea grew and he began to build more wires where Bell would not. His group gained a lot of power and became known as the Independents, the ones that were rivalry the largest telephone company that existed. However their success was short run eventually Mesa and the Independents gave up and sold out to the mighty Bell Company (Wu, 53). Despite the idea that, “markets are born free no sooner are they born than some would-be emperor is forging chains” (Wu, 310). The bigger corporation always seems to win. This idea of the cycle and dominance by a larger power also holds true in the story in the invention of the FM radio. It was a battle between the lone inventor, Edwin Armstrong and the most powerful man in American Broadcasting, David Sarnoff. Sarnoff thought FM technology would be a revolution, not something he wanted (he thought AM radio should stay in control and the invention of television should be promoted).  Sarnoff convinced the FCC to restrict FM broadcasting to one narrow band. These restrictions placed on FM technology,  “shows, as we shall see, that perhaps the most effective way to gain power over the future is to dictate popular assumptions” (Wu, 130). The government and powerful people and/or large companies can control new technology and how society uses it.  These examples found in the Master Switch demonstrate how history and the cycle keep repeating; large corporations always overtake the subordinate inventors. This will hold true in the future because there will always be a desire for a company to eliminate competition. The mega corporations will grow in power by controlling Cyberspace and dictating how we are permitted to use it. The future looks to be one where people like Vail and Sarnoff will continue to dominate the world of technology. It has been proven that the cycle repeats and there is little hope for deviation.

The continuation that mega corporations will be more powerful than the users of the certain technological devices is based on the idea of the open and closed system. The mega corporations are implementing a closed system, but the Internet being an open system is far from the truth. John Barlow argues, “We must declare our virtual selves immune to your sovereignty, even as we continue to consent to your rule over our bodies. We will spread ourselves across the Planet so that no one can arrest our thoughts.We will create a civilization of the Mind in Cyberspace. May it be more humane and fair than the world your governments have made before” (Barlow, 2).  This would be idealistic, however history demonstrates that the future will not be open. Gibson, along with Barlow, describes a future where the players have the most power and larger corporations fall at the wayside. I think that to become as powerful as Molly we will need to adopt her way of life. We will need blades to come out of our fingertips and glasses that stop of tear ducts (a sign of weakness), in essence we will have to become inhuman to overtake the mega corporations. In our future, we still want the connection to humanity and the natural world and to the characteristics that make us human like our personality and ability to cry out of eyes. I doubt that it will be accepted to even jack into a matrix let alone alter ourselves to survive and become more powerful in cyberspace. Gibson does not mention any “regular humans” in his projection of the future. I think this is because to fully take over the mega corporations we will have to cut our ties to humanity and our need for the natural world. We have to become cold and a little heartless to be as powerful as the large companies that are in control of technology now. Molly states, “Except sometimes I do hurt people sometimes. I guess it’s just the way I’m wired” (Gibson, 25).  Gibson projects that in the future humans will end up being wired; we will mesh flesh with technology. In Wu’s idea of the future the mega corporations will be in control of the wires of the Internet and Cyberspace. It will not be a change in humanity as Gibson presents, but a change and tighter restriction of technology. It also highlights the difference between and open and closed society.  Lessig explains the open society of the internet mentioned in Neuromancer, “A space built on a commons, where because most early code governing the net was open code, and where because of the architectural principle of end- to-end, the network owner could not control how the net would be used – the resource of the net was left open for innovation; all could draw upon its riches; no one could close another out” (14). This open society does allow for new innovation, an explanation for why Gibson presented so many innovated technologies in his book. In a closed society, innovation will still take place, but it does not reach the potential it could in an open society. The cycle explains that in the future the Internet will become a closed system run by mega corporations. Citizens are limited in their innovation and in their potential by the control of the mega corporations. Console cowboys and gentlemen losers have power and intelligence, something that I believe we possess now, but their mindset and ability to separate themselves from normal human qualities make them the catalyst to gaining power and enforcing an open system of Cyberspace.

Cyberspace and the introduction of consensual hallucination would mean a whole new world where our dynamic of society would change. Change is not bad, just like the introduction of cellular technology cyberspace would allow for more opportunities. However the future looks different than what Gibson presents. Based on history, the continuation of the cycle, and our inability to disconnect from the natural world to become less human I believe that mega corporations will be more powerful than the users of the technology. We would regress to an era where cowboys, men on horses, would be powerful on the open range. Today, the open range has been replaced by a closed system and this is likely to continue in the future.

After finishing Neuromancer by William Gibson, I decided to keep track of how often I use my smart phone in one day. I spent a solid thirty minutes during the day checking my email, looking up the weather, going on Facebook and reading the CNN headlines. I made two phone calls each lasting about ten minutes and sent about fifteen text messages. In total I spent about an hour using my iphone. I use my iphone so often because it is a mini computer that fits in my hand. I like keeping in touch with my friends and family, but I also like to know what is going on in the world and having the ability to access the Internet so quickly and conveniently. I would spend an hour a day being more productive if I did not have a cell phone, but I would miss talking with people like my parents who do not live near me. While we do have conversations without the use of technology, our cell phones especially the

use text messaging makes it easier to communicate.  

In Neuromancer there is clear dependence on machines and the use of technology. In today’s world, there is certainly a dependence on computers and phones, but not quite to the extent in Neuromancer. I do not think that we have progressed to create the 3D consensual hallucination. I think we are afraid to fully leave behind our daily real human-to-human contact. I know I use my cell phone frequently, but I also like to talk with my friends in person. There is something about face to face time that we have a society are not so quick to relinquish.  I believe we are a little apprehensive and scared to fully jack into a matrix.  I don’t think that we want to put electrodes on our heads, but maybe that is just me. I think we have taken some of Gibson’s ideas and put our twist on them. We definitely becoming immersed in our phones when sending a text message, but we are still casual users of technology.  Gibson had the idea for a futuristic world dominated by machines, but in today’s day and age we are not at the point where everyone would be comfortable mixing flesh and machines. 

The more I read Neuromancer by William Gibson, the more I begin the think about how dark our future looks. In this type of science fiction novel and other science fiction works (another example is the movie, The Matrix) the overall mood is dark and sinister. I think this is because the future is so unknown. I believe as a society we are scared as to what the future will bring and how these new technologies introduced in science fiction genres will change the way we live. For example, in Neuromancer the trees are described as being, “small, gnarled, impossibly old, the result of genetic engineering and chemical manipulation” (128). The futuristic description of what the natural world will look like is scary. The natural world will become engineered and no longer rely on its natural ways of reproducing and growing. In the future will we be so involved in cyberspace and technology that the natural world will become insignificant?

Science fiction while it is dark, it is very popular. This type of genre allows us to immerse ourselves in a world where life is so different than our own. We are taken out of our element and thrown into one where it is possible to “jack into a matrix.” Science fiction also sells because it can be used as a springboard for new technologies, a way to open up our imagination to new ideas about inventions and the future. This dark portrayal of our futuristic cyberspace world leads us to image a place where trees are not real or where cowboys are not men on horses but instead computer hackers. However this new world is exciting as we try to picture how our lives would change. Our flesh and connection with the natural world could be replaced with computer chips and new technologies. While our future seems dark and a little bit ominous there is the exciting anticipation of what a new world focused on cyberspace would be like to live in. Would we be more like Molly or more like Case? Would we feel powerful with our new abilities?