A Rape in Cyberspace; or How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database into a Society.
LabdaMOO is a text-based online virtual reality system where multiple internet users are connected. I believe that this form of online interaction is seriously outdated.
I tried to connect to LambdaMOO but the website was “closed”. So I then tried a different “MOO”, called HellMoo which is a post-apocalyptic themed MOO. I tried to use it, but became completely confused…which is coming from a past user of crappy online communities such as Club Penguin, IMVU, and Habbo Hotel.
One main idea the article emphasises is the concept of an online database being a “real” communal society with rules and social interactions with many aspects:
o People are free to be who they want (from a dolphin to a seedy sexist clown).
o It gives the illusion of a real society, but realistically it’s a complex database containing subprograms for the different characters, rooms etc…and literally a bunch of text.
o It evolves into a society after the Mr Bungle scandal by updating the program to impose restriction on characters’ behaviours. As in RL societies, different groups had their different opinions on how this should be undertaken. Therefore, a system of petitions and ballots would be used to express any further social mishaps within the society.
o This obviously doesn’t directly reflect any RL society, but instead is tailored so the society is conveniently influenced by those who participate actively in it.
The second main idea is whether crimes in the virtual worlds are exchangeable into real life. Just because people’s external bodies aren’t affected is no crime committed? The gap between the virtual world and real life is hard to define especially when the reaction to online assault such as virtual rape, can cause a human to emotionally suffer (for example as ‘legba’ did).
o The problems occur when people take their online persona very seriously. They see their characters as an extension of their RL selves, and so when the virtual character is violated, they feel violated themselves. The world becomes emotionally meaningful, more so than RL because there’s no physical boundaries, “In MOO the body IS the mind”
o I agree that online crimes should have online consequences, but what exactly is hard to say. The effects of “toading” are short lived because the person can just come back as a new character.
o One point I believe is important regarding the ethics of online crime is the idea of “rape” to be located on a continuum of sexual assault, which included virtual rape, because although not physical, it causes psychological pain.
Furthermore, virtual realities are just a modified copy of society. It still involves humans interacting with humans, just on a more convenient, less self conscious level where the user can design their own reality.
QUESTIONS
1. The article states that online worlds express “possibilities for building societies more decent and free than those mapped onto dirt and concrete and capital” however more decent according to who? Do you believe this is possible?
2. To what extent should online offenders be punishable for their actions in a situation such as LambdaMOO?
Firstly, very good presentation! I agree with your last few points about the attachment that can develop between a person and their avatar, and the proximity between real life and virtual spaces. A few things that came to mind..... The detailed customisation of avatars offered in games such as second life and World of Warcraft may prompt some users to develop a degree of real life attachment and intimacy with their avatar. For example in Leslie Katz’s article, My avatar’s so-called life (2009), she describes experiencing very real “fashion conscious” feelings, despite recognizing the artificiality of her avatar. The detailed process of narration in these games, for example, World of Warcraft realms dedicated purely to role-playing, could similarly see a degree of embodiment and assimilation within a digital space develop. There are loads of other case studies and arguments out there that reasons virtual communities, emotions, etc, as very real.
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree with your comment that a lot of these online communities are incredibly outdated. All that will happen is that people will get bored and move beyond these communities and discover something more suited to the times, like, for example, Second Life.
ReplyDeleteI've never actually been on SL, but I have had a Neopets account for at least a decade now, and I feel that this is one online community that has been successful in keeping in sync with the changing technological times. I'm quite sure Neopets has over 50 million users and this increases every single day.
As for developing an attachment to your avatar, this I can definitely understand. I've witnessed my older brother 'play' on WOW for hours on end over months and months to the point where he would rather hang out with his 'online friends' than his friends in real life. In WOW, he was able to express a completely different, and much more confident, side of himself than he was in RL. And when something happened to his Avatar, his frustrations were completely evident. People put in so much effort towards building their avatars and playing out their lives and so on that it is only natural for them (I feel) to develop a connection.
As for online offenders and how they should be punished, it depends. I mentioned in the tutorial that on an online community such as Neopets, online offences were punished according to online law. I think it is unreasonable in most cases to expect punishment in RL for something that has occurred in a virtual world. Where would we draw the line after all? It really depends on the person that has been wronged and what kind of RL effects they experience as a result of a virtual offence. I'm not sure - but as online communities get bigger and more popular as the years go on, this is something we might soon have to take quite seriously and consider.
I agree with the idea that people are becoming increasingly attached to their online lives. I know I panicked when I logged into my Facebook account last year to find that I had 0 friends and no wall post or photos. My account had become temporarily erased. I quickly emailed Facebook and got a reply relatively quickly. Apparently this had happened to a few people and the problem was fixed within a few days.
ReplyDeleteI've never used a site like Second Life but I can identify with the panic and disappointed associated with a lost document or unsaved progress on a site. I feel hopeless, like I had lost more than some pixels.
People are definitely attached to their virtual lives and I believe that their needs to be real consequences for online crimes. It is such a difficult topic with so many issues. If someone is spending real time, real effort and real money and the fruits of their labour are stolen, then that is not just. I am trying to get a hold of Greg Lastowka's book "Virtual Justice: The New Laws of Online Worlds," which apparently discusses the history and the future of online justice. It is definitely not a problem that is going to disappear, especially as technology progresses and online sites become more popular.
Hey,
ReplyDeleteAs Iv been reading through the post and the comments I think about how online crimes could and should be punished. I then think how difficult is it to keep real society in order and to effectively punish real crimes, how much more difficult would it be to control and effectively punish virtual, online crimes? I'm not sure... maybe it would be easier? Should there be an entire online justice system? an if there should, then how would that work?
I find that I develop more questions when I think about these things than have "answers."
As for the connection that people have to their online selves I agree with all comments that people are intimately connected to their online selves. How could they not be; the way we represent ourselves online is through choices, no? choices about what we wish to portray and I assume we value what we represent and so when those valued choices are violated, surely this is felt with our real-life selves.
People nowadays are getting more and more attached to the virtual world, not only teenagers, adults do, but kids too. For instances, some of my cousins, who are 6 to 8 years old are using Facebook, although I only see them playing Facebook games like Happy Farm, I sometimes think that what if they see something or read something that are not suitable for them on Facebook because there are no such a guideline. For example, when someone commented on their friend's photo, their activity will be reported on their wall, what if those children by coincident click on those photos, and those photos happen to be not so suitable for a 8 year old kid to see?
ReplyDelete