[UA] Names

[Kevin Mowery]

-----Original Message-----
From: Epoch <msulliva at wso.williams.edu>
To: ua at lists.uchicago.edu <ua at lists.uchicago.edu>
Date: Thursday, December 23, 1999 11:23 PM
Subject: Re: [UA] Names


>On Wed, 22 Dec 1999 Twist0059 at aol.com wrote:
>
>> I think handles online are pretty interesting, actually.  Almost like the
>> process of someone renaming themselves when they get older to assert
their
>> identity.
>>
>> As is, I think handles developed just as a means of anonymity, primarily.
>
>Actually, for me, at least, just the opposite.  There are a whole hell of
>a lot of "Mike's" in the world.  There are several orders of magnitude
>fewer "Epoch's."
>
>Mike
>
>(Yes, dammit, this /is/ on topic.  Names are inherently UAish)

    I did a paper on the internet which was hopelessly starry-eyed about the
whole thing, but I touched upon the concept of screen names and avatars and
such.  Actually, I devoted a hell of a lot of space to it.  Anyway, here's
the basic points:

- In cyberspace, you are who you say you are.  If my online persona is a
fifteen year-old female who loves oral sex, then that's who I am, in a
sense.  It's the persona toward whom other people respond.  Ever want to see
how the other half/10%/whatever lives?  Get online and present that persona.

- Also in cyberspace, people are defined by words.  My thoughts and opinions
make up who I *am* online.  It's certainly not important that I'm 6'2" or
230 lbs.  Or how thick my glasses are or aren't, or what color my hair is.
I can change all that with a few keystrokes.  I can also pretend to have
different opinions and outlooks.

- Without a physical presence, we're defined by our minds, and that makes
each of us a minority of one, while simultaneously allowing us to connect
with each other without the physical barriers that plague the meat world.
For instance, James Palmer is in England, I'm in Ohio.  There's a barrier
right there.  I'm big and imposing, someone else might be intimidated by me
and not open up.

- Experiences online translate to the offline world.  Someone masquerading
as a woman online can gain a greater understanding of what it means to be a
woman.  Or they can just engage in hot & nasty cybersex.  But *ideally* . .
. .

    Actually, I think I'm losing the point here.  The point is that your
online handle is part of your online persona, which is a part of *you*.
People familiar with MST3K might recognize my nickname, "Professor Bobo"
(when I use it) and think of me as a lab-coated gorilla.  If so, in their
minds, that's what I *am*.  The lab-coated simian becomes a symbol for *me*.
People with handles like "Lord Deathstroke" reveal a part of themselves that
they cannot reveal in the meat world (probably).  It might also be a
defensive mechanism.
    Imagine, if you will, a Duke who sets up an online account.  Let's call
this guy Harry.  Harry's a nice guy who runs an occult bookshop.  Once a
month, he posts a FAQ to a classic car newsgroup and updates his webpage,
devoted to 1950s vintage cars.  Harry's online name is "Nomad".  There's a
big difference between the two personas (Harry doesn't even *own* a car).
But like the egg that contained the sorceror's soul, "Nomad" contains
Harry's soul.  To kill Harry, you have to kill "Nomad", which is a much
harder task.  You can crash the webpage maybe, but there's still the posts.
And the posts are archived all over the place.  You'd have to take them
*all* out.  And cancel the account.


Kevin Mowery________________profbobo at io.com
"I hate being obvious. All fangy and "grr!" Takes the
mystery out."       --Spike, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"



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