Index
Adams, P. C., 5
administration, of muds: changes in, [259n9]; sanctions in, 64–67; social norms and, 62–63. See also wizards
Alien (film), 67
Alisa (pseud.), 34, 67, 117, 144, 147; on mud administration, 63–64; muds run by, 42; on newbies, 135–37; on race, 203–4, 211
American Anthropological Association, [263–64n6]
American Association for the Advancement of Science, 241–42
American Sociological Association (ASA), 236
America Online (AOL), [259n14]
Anderson, Benedict, 5
Anguish (pseud.): on race, 210–11, 212; sexual relationships and, 92–93
AniMUCK, 18
anonymity, 111–12, 166; of guest characters, 129–30; limitations of, 221–26; online relationships and, 163–64; racial issues and, 215–16; uncomfortable topics and, 163
anthropomorphic animal—themed muds, 45–46
antifurries. See Surly Gang
AOL (America Online), [259n14]
ASA (American Sociological Association), 236
Asian Americans, on race and ethnicity, 205–12
Aspnes, Jim, 40–42
audience: ambiguity of, 213–14, 216; eavesdropping and invasions by, 126–27; for special interest programs, [261n7]
Aurora (pseud.), 139–41
Barbie (pseud.): disappearances of, 148, 151–53; names and gender of, 61, 118–19, 120; on offline meetings,
― 290 ―153–54; on race and speech, 212–13Barlow, John Perry: on eliminating prejudice, 220–21; manifesto of, 10, 43, 240; organization of, [256n2]; on telephone and online experiences, [255–56n6]
bartender object, 49–50
Baym, Nancy K., 9
Benedikt, Michael, [256n9]
Berger, Peter, 161
Beryl (pseud.): class status and, 190–91; on face-to-face meetings, 158; on gender, 71; geographic locationof, 146; guest characters and, 132–33, 134–35; on male-dominated groups, 95, 99; object building by, 52, [263n4]; romantic relationship of, 162; status of, 51
Bilerific-Sid (pseud.): character identities and, 119–20; on combining mudding and work, 38, 39; ethnicity of, 199–200, 202; gender discussion and, 171, 172, 173–75, 177–78; name of, [255n1]; politics of, 23; on research, 240
BJ (pseud.): ethnicity of, 201; on nerds/nerdettes, 88; research supported by, [263n4]; sexual relationships and, 92–94, 228; triggers built by, 217–19
Bluejean (pseud.), 185–86
BlueSky (pseud., online forum), 3–4, 4–7, 12–13, 17, 69–70, 99; administration of, 62–69; benefits of, 225–26; character registration on, 18, 21, 34–36; departures from, 177; as “dino mud,” 129; as maledominated space, 72, 95–96, 107–8, 167; origins of, 42; as professional network, 195–98; as social safety net(work), 144–48; as “white”space, 198–202, 208, 210. See also BlueSky participants; commands;Falcon (pub, pseud.); guest characters; humor; Nebula Cafe Bar(pseud.); object building; sexual language
BlueSky participants, 19, 32, 42–43, 45–46, 113–14, 146–48; computer use by, 185–87; contact information for, 149–50, 154; current where abouts of, 227–28; demographics of, 20–23, 90, 95, 214; asdinos, 46, 128–29; ethnicity of, 22, 199–200; home and work environments of, 180–84, 227–28; identity continuity of, 44–45, 111–12, 119, 122, 125–26, 135, 138; participation patterns of, 23–29; physical descriptions of, 234; response togender switching, 103, 104; sharing information about, 55–56, 57, 61–62; status among, 51, 133, 184–91, 235; work and muds integrated by, 8, 19, 36–39. See also class; education; ethnicity; face-to-facemeetings; gender; humor; race
Bob (pseud.), 52–53
Boehlefeld, Sharon Polancic, 241
boot, meaning of, 66–67
Bornstein, Kate, 222
Brown, Karen McCarthy, 245–46
Bud (pseud.), 122–24
bug fixing, online talk during, 78–80
bugs, as metaphor for research subjects, 238
Carets (pseud.): on eliminating prejudice, 220–21; on gender, 71; on
― 291 ―mud research, 219; mud run by, 227; on online future, 217, 220Carnegie-Mellon University, 40
Caucasian, use of term, 203
Center for Democracy and Technology, [256n10]
characters (online), 33–34, 35–36, 116–20; choosing, 18, [256–57n3]; dual identities of, 125; establishing boundaries for, 44; gender of, 33–34, 35, 50–51, 72, [260n1]; home base for, 33; as objects, 113; registration of, 34–35, 112; on roleplaying muds, 43–44; and roll calls, 57–59; sanctions against, 64–67; use of, 14, [255n1], [256n1]; usurpation of another's character by, 112–13. See also guest characters; names of characters
chat spaces, 4, 6. See also muds (Multi-User Dungeons or Domains)
Cheers (television series), 4
class: absence/presence of (online), 220–26; of BlueSky participants, 20, 90; cultural discourse on, 187–88; differences in, 193–95, 216; education linked to, 188–90, 235; income linked to, 191–95; of Internet users, 183, 184–87, [262–63n1]; online talk about, 191–95; worklinked to, 190–91. See also middle class
Cleo (pseud.), 121–22
Clifford, James, 233
Coalghost (pseud.), 61. See also Barbie
Cockburn, Cynthia, 97
“color blindness,” and racial issues, 198–202, 206, 215, 221
commands: @dest, 176, [262n4]; boot, 66–67; emote or pose, 58–59, 229, 231, [260n8]; exit, 32; gag, 127, [261n12]; for gender choice, 35; kill, 49–50, 52; list of, 229–31; look, 34, 230; mutter, 67, 230; page, 33, 59, 106, 229; say, 229; scoring, 41; teleport, 33, [258n2]; WHO, 38, 55–57, [257n12]. See also lom lever object; objects (specific); whisper(command)
Communications Decency Act (1996), [256n10]
computer culture, 73–78: class status and, 184–87; mud culture linked to, 96–97; response to research and, 240. See also mud culture
computer languages, BlueSky discussion of, 74–77
computer literacy, 185–87
computer programming, 30, 77–78, 80–81, 196–98; debugging in, 78–80; hierarchical status in, [260n2]; and masculinities, 73–76; andmudding, 25–27, 29, 36, 181, 182
Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference (1993), 16
computer terminology, adoption of, [256n7]
Conductor (robot), 114
consumption practices, gendered, 182–83
Copperhead (pseud.), 48–49, 50–51, 149–50; identities of, 125, 235–36; name of, 18, [256–57n3]; participation of, 52–53, [258n4]; performance of masculinity by, 97–100
Correll, S., 6
Corwin (pseud.), 40, 42, 74–75, 77, 111, 137, 144; on combining mudding and work, 38, 39; on education, 188; ethnicity of, 200, 202; gender discussion and, 171, 172, 173–78; on interviews, 235; on online social spaces, 145; philosophy of, 63–64; on race, 209; salary rollcall and, 192, 193–95; status of, 34, 67–69; on visiting mudders, 146
Cox, Alan, 40
crash: avoidance of, 52; definition of, [257n10]; sanction for, 66; as threat, 34
credits, concept of, 52
cultural background: class and, 187–88; as identity category, 203–4, 207–9, 211. See also computer culture; mud culture; social norms
cyberspace: bodies absent in, 10–11; definition of, [256n9]; as liberatory, 220; reality juxtaposed to, 8; reified privilege in, 221–22; sociological studies of, 9–13, 16–20, 240–41; telephone as, [255–56n6]. See also computer culture; Internet; online identities
“A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace” (Barlow), 10, 43, 240
devnull (pseud.), 180–81
Dibbell, Julian, [259n8]
diversity, 22–23
diving platform object, 47–49
domehead (pseud.), 188
Douglas, Mark, 241
drag, as parody, 107
Dr.Morph (pseud.), 122–24
Duneier, Mitchell, 169–70
EarlyMUD, 18, 22, 46, 111–12; offline gatherings of participants on, 19, 109–11
education: of BlueSky participants, 20–21, 22, 25, 94, 188–89; choice of college and, 147–48; as class/status marker, 188–90, 235; of mudders' parents, 183–84, 187; necessity of, 30
elflord (pseud.), 25, 47–49, 75–77, 144, 199–200, [263n4]; on race, 203, 209; robots of, 114–15; on visiting mudders, 146–47; wizard status of, 34, 64–65
e-mail, 37, [258n3]. See also medmenham (pseud., e-mail list) employers, mudding participation and, 28, 36
Enchantress (pseud.), 123–24
Essex University, 40
ethnicity: of BlueSky participants, 22, 199–200; and community, 201–2; race linked to, 199–201, 205–6; recategorization of, 207–8
ethnography: attitudes toward, [258n4]; as bridge building, 245–46; ethics in, 241–43; feminist interventions in, 243–45; participant-observer issues in, 236–37; personal background and, 235–36; subjects' responses to, 237–41, [263n4]; textual congruencies and, 233–35
“Eyebeam” (comic strip), [260n3]
face-to-face meetings, 14–16, 19, 25, 109–11, 154–59, 165–66; discomfort in, 162–65, 189; online transition to, 159–61; preferences for, 234–36
Farron (pseud.), 197–200
Faust (pseud.), 23, 74–76; on combining mudding and work, 38, 39; research supported by, [263n4]; romantic online relationship of, 139–41
Feagin, Joe R., 203
Felicia (pseud.), 21
femininity: consumption practices
― 293 ―linked to, 182–83; stereotypes of, 91, 96–97, 101–3, 105feminism, ethnographic practices and, 243–45
Fenstermaker, Sarah, 187
Fitzgerald, Frances, 22
Florin (pseud.): research supported by, 238–39; sanction against, 65, 66; triggers built by, 218–19
Foner, Leonard N., 116
Frankel, Mark S., 242
friendships (on- and offline), 141–42, 142–43, 146–48, 165–66, 166–67; gender and, 167–70, 170–79; geographic location and, 144–46
Fuller, Mary, 18
furries, 45–46
games and gaming, 37, 40–43, 50, 95, [257n5]. See also role-playingmuds
Garber, Marjorie, 223
Geertz, Clifford, 233
gender: absence/presence of (online), 95–96, 220–26; assumptions about, 153–54; attitudes toward, 71–72; of BlueSky participants, 20, 90, 95; of characters and character names, 34, 35, 50–51, 72, [260n1]; class identities and, 193–95; computer useand, 185–86; construction of, 170–79; as exchangeable or malleable, 222; friendship and, 169; invasions and, 127, [261n10]; of nerds, 88; ofparticipants, in real life, 124–25;performance of, 107–8; pronounsfor, 101, 102, 104, [260n1]; restroom object and, 50–51; sexuality linked to, 84–90, 95–96, 172, 175, 177–79;as signifier, 215–16; social normsof, 10–11, 107. See also femininity; masculinities; men; sexuality; women
gender switching, 11, 100–101; dislike of, 124–25; examples of, 101–7; reification of roles through, 222–24; romantic online relationships and, 119–20; TinySex and, 120–21. See also masquerades
GEnie, [259n14]
George (pseud.), 52–53
Gilroy, P., 209
gods, use of term, [257n9]. See also wizards
Gravity (pseud.), 48
group identity, 85–87, 170–79. See also BlueSky participants; mud culture
guest characters, 65129–30, 130–32, 136; harassment of, 132–35, 138; hostility toward, 135–36. See also newbies
hackers, as nerds, 94
Haddon, L., 185
harassment: invasions as, 127; of
newbies and guests, 132–36; racial, 212, 215–16. See also sexual harassment
Heisenbug Uncertainty Principle, 79–80
Hello Kitty, 52–53
henri (pseud.), 14, 20, 32, 51, 55–56, 57, 67–68, 74–78, 188; on combining mudding and work, 26, 27, 29, 38, 39; diving platform object and, 48–49; gender discussion and, 175–78; guest characters and, 130–32;nerd identity and, 82–83; object
― 294 ―building by, 49, 50–51, 53–54, 76, [263n5]; on online relationships, 148–49, 162–64, 165–67; on online social spaces, 144–45; on race, 213–14; research supported by, 237–40; on robot, 114; salary of, 193; on sexual language, 86–87Herring, Susan C., 11
hits, statistics on, 6
hms/hsm, use of term, [260n5]
humor: and education, 188–89; and gender choice, 35, 101, 106; nerd identity and, 81–84; in polls, 55–57, 61–62; programmed objects and, 49–51, 52–54; in quote fests, 59–62, 151–52; racist, 213–14; research purposes and, 238–39; robots and, 113, 114–16; sexist, 245; sexual language and, 60–61, 85–87; spoofing and, 54; status linked to, 129, 136–37, 153; TinySex and, 121; titles/subtitles and, [263n5]; triggers and, 217–19; in wordplay, 88, 212–13. See also roll calls
Hurt, Sam, [260n3]
Ichi (pseud.), 49
iconify, use of term, 38
identities, 5, 8–9, 18, 137–38, 224; and class status, 187–91; evaluating, 156–58; and gender, 94–100, 107–8; and names, 111. See also class; ethnicity; gender; group identity; nerd identity; online identities; race; sexuality
income, online talk about, 191–95
Information Society (journal), on ethics, 241
informed consent, [264n7]. See also privacy issues
Internet: audience of, 126; controlling groups on, 127; definition of, [256n9]; demographics of participants on, 183, 184–87, [262–63n1]; economic side of, 149; geographical connections via, 144–46; popularization of, 128–29; as public vs. private space, 69; social spaces on, 5–7; as “strange making” technology, 164; as white and male-dominated space, 221–22; as wild frontier, 17–18. See also bulletin board systems (BBSs); chat spaces; e-mail; muds (Multi-User Dungeons or Domains); online interactions
jack-in-the-box object, 52–54
Jenkins, Henry, 18
Jet (pseud.): on combining mudding and work, 36; description of, 14; diving platform object and, 48; on gender and participation, 100; gender discussion and, 176, 178; harassment by, 134; on nerd identity, 81; on race, 207–9, 211, 212–13; on research, 245; on socializing on mud, 28
Jim (pseud.). See evariste (pseud.) job listing object, 47, 196–97
jobs. See work
Jonathan (pseud.), 164–65
lag time, online, 6–7
LambdaMOO, 242, [259n8], [259n14],
― 295 ―[261–62n13]; democratic innovations of, 63, [259n7]Larry (pseud., robot), 121–22
Lesbian Cafe, 6
limbo, use of term, 219
Livingstone, Sonia, 185
locker room, as metaphor for mud, 89–90
Locutus (pseud.): on bug fixing, 78–80; diving platform object and, 48; gender of, 15–16; gender switching and, 106; mud suicide and, 176–77; nerd identity and, 88; on sexual language, 86–87
lom lever object, 51–54, 68, 132–33, 174–75, [258n5], [259n12]
The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien), [258n1]
Los Angeles, uprisings in, 207
Lost in Space (television program), 58–59
Luckmann, Thomas, 161
lusers, definition of, 77–78
magic recording device (mrd) object, 54
man page, use of term, 77
Marvit, Maclen, [255–56n6]
masculinities: ambivalence toward, 90–94; construction of, 73, 78, 80, 170–79; consumption practices and, 182–83; friendships and, 167–70; hegemonic type of, 72; heterosexuality and, 84–87; income linked to, 194–95; logic valued in, 173–74; nerd's complication of, 80–84, 87–88; norms of, 76–78; stereotypes of, 105–7; wit linked to, 137; women's performance of, 94–100, 107–8; work talk online and, 73–80
masquerades, 120–26. See also gender switching,
Mauldin, Michael, [261n3]
mav, examples of, 231
McCaffrey, Anne, 43
McClintock, Anne, 194
men: friendships of, 167–69; gender talk and, 170–79; humor as outlet for, 153; neutral characters as, 105; participation patterns of, 25–27; sexual banter of, 97–100; as victims, 169–70. See also masculinities
Mender (pseud.), 52–53, 68, 106, 145–46, 168–69, 212–13; nerd identity and, 81, 82–83
“message of the day,” 142–43
Messerschmidt, James W., 73
middle class, 37, 195–98: computer use among, 184–87; identity performance and, 187–91; mobility of, 142, 145; mudders as members of, 182–84, 192; nerd identity and, 82. See also class; social norms
Mike Adams (pseud.), 88–89
Miller, Laura, 18
Ministry (music group), 16
modular thinking, 30
MOOs, definition of, [260n1]
mrd (magic recording device) object, 54
mud client program, 31–32
mud culture, 45, 46–54, 49–50, 69–70, 78, 114; administrators' influences on, 62–69; and computer culture, 96–97; as middle-class, 182–84, 192; polls in, 55–57, 61–62; quote fests in, 59–62, 151–52; response to research and, 240. See also roll calls
mudders, 5, 21, 22; demographics of, [258n2]; home and work environments of, 180–84, 227–28; as middle-class, 184–91; use of term. See also BlueSky participants; status
mudding: multitasking and, 7–8; stigmatization of, 150–51; use of term, 4–5; during work hours, 23–25, 36–39
mud logs, 233–35; editing of, [259n10], [263n2]; unedited example of, 247–54
muds (Multi-User Dungeons or Domains), 4–5, 29–30, 32–33, 36, 40–43, 55, 219; abbreviations common to, 230; administration of, 41, 46–47, 62–69, [259n9]; benefits of, 225–26; entering, 30–32; ethnographic issues and, 233–35; as face-to-face interaction, 7–9; gender differences on, 11; in-home type of, 180–81; as male-dominated spaces, 72, 95–100, 107–8; masquerades and, 120–21; media attention to, 127, 128, [261–62n13]; outsiders on, 126–27; social rhythm of, 24; speech vs. action on, 66–67, [259n8]; town square space on, [259n14]; use of multiple, 181, 182; visits to, 17–19; workplace type of, 182; as work resources, 36–37. See also BlueSky (pseud., online forum); characters (online); commands; object building; online identities; rooms
Mystery Spot (Santa Cruz), 14–16
names of characters, 116–20, 124, 217–18, 230; choosing, 61, 104, 110–11; on- vs. offline, 14, 110–12, [256n1]; as pseudonyms, 241–43, [260–61n1], [264n8]. See also characters (online)
Nebula Cafe Bar (pseud.), 188–89
nerdettes, use of term, 88
newbies 31, 33, 235; harassment of, 132–36, 138; hostility toward, 128–29; known vs. unknown, 136–37. See also guest characters
newpasswording, 65
newsgroups, 63, 121, 126, [258n3]. See also Usenet newsgroups
nicknames, character names as, [260–61n1]
object building, 30, 40–41, 43, 46–54, [257n7]. See also objects (general); objects (specific)
objects (general), 47; characters as, 113; destroying, [262n4]; for harassing guests, 132–33; online interaction managed with, 51–52; as repositories of culture, 49–54; sharing information about, [263n4]; spamming with, 49. See also characters (online); robots; rooms
objects (specific): bartender, 49–50; diving platform, 47–49; jack-in-the-box, 52–54; job listing, 47, 196–97; login, 22, 47; magic recording device (mrd), 54; Male Answer Syndrome Clinic, 76; restroom, 50–51; triggers, 217–19; wormhole, 132–33. See also lom lever object
Obtuse (pseud.): on combining mudding and work, 36; consumption practices and, 182; gender discussion and, 170–78; on socializing on mud, 28–29; work environment of, 181–82
offline life: friendships in, 141–42; gender and, 72; homes in, 180–81, 227–28; moving and travels in, 145–48; mudding integrated into, 26, 27, 29, 36–39; online actions combined with, 58–59; online identities differentiated from, 43, 101, 104, 109, 118–19, 151, 163, 224; online identities reflective of, 44–45, 104–5, 111–12, 119, 224; recognizing race in, 215–16; refusal to meet mudders in, 153–54; sexual relationships in, 90–94; sharing information about, 106, 112, 118; storytelling about, 153. See also BlueSky participants; face-to-face meetings; pubs; social spaces; work
oif, meaning of, 59–60
Oldenburg, Ray, 142–43
online identities: ambiguity in, 112–13; confirmed in interviews, 19; confusion of, 113–16; as heterosexual masculine, 84–87; history of, 61; identifying sexual, 124–25, [260n6]; mrd function and, 54; multiplicity and fluidity of, 8–9; offline context of, 9–11, 16; offline life differentiated from, 43, 101, 104, 109, 118–19, 151, 163, 224; offline life reflective of, 44–45, 104–5, 111–12, 119, 224; privacy of, 66; reification of hierarchies of, 221–23; resistance to specific, 132; role playing vs. continuity of, 43–45, 58–59, 111–12, 119, 122, 125–26, 135, 138; sharing information about, 55–56, 57, 61–62, 122; social norms of, 116–20, 135–37; trust and, 156–58. See also BlueSky participants; characters (online); group identity
online interactions: aggression in, 167; approach to, 12–13; benefits of, 225–26; class implicit in, 191–95; different groups in, 166; identity continuity in, 43–45, 58–59, 111–12, 119, 122, 125–26, 135, 138; middle-class nature of, 185–91; objects for managing, 51–52; possibilities in future, 217, 220, 225–26; power's influence on, 12, 137–38, 219–26; racial cues in, 198–99, 209–12, 215–16; uncomfortable topics in, 162–63. See also chat spaces; muds (Multi-User Dungeons or Domains)
online pseudonyms. See characters (online); names of characters
online relationships, 116–20, 112–13, 140, 148–54, 165–66; cutting off, 176–77; ignoring difficulties in, 166–67; masculinities and, 167–and masquerades, 122–24; offline interference with, 66–67; offline meetings and, 154–59; research on, 163–64; as social safety net(work), 144–48; transition to face-to-face, 159–67; used to avoid work/offline relationships, 28–29. See also friendships (on- and offline); romantic online relationships
page (command): example of, 106; meaning of, 33, 229; quote fests and, 59
PAL (pseud.): gender discussion and, 172–76, 178; mud suicide of, 176–77, 236–37
Peg (pseud.): on gender and sexuality, 71, 95–96; on mud as professional network, 195; on newbies, 136–37; on race, 204–5, 208–9, 214;
― 298 ―on role-playing muds, 44; romantic relationships of, 160–61Perl (computer language), 74–75
Pern (McCaffrey), 43
Perry (pseud.), 74–76, 111; on combining mudding and work, 38, 39; home environment of, 180–81, 182–83
photographs, as physical artifacts, 15
Piercy, Marge, [260n1]
politics, of BlueSky participants, 23
Porter, David, 111–12
Pred, A., 182
Previous (pseud.), 124–25
profanity, in gender discussion, 174–75
programmed objects. See objects (general); objects (specific)
Projansky, Sarah, 243–44
ProphesyNet, 122–24
pubs: as metaphor, 3–4, 135, 142–43, 225–26; as private space, 69. See also virtual pubs
race: absence/presence of (online), 198–99, 209–12, 215–16, 221–26; avoiding labels of, 202–5; of BlueSky participants, 21, 22, 90, 198–202; elision of, 208–9; ethnicity linked to, 199–201, 205–6; friendship and, 169–70; of nerds, 88; recategorization of, 207–8; on role-playing muds, [257n8]; as signifier, 215–16; speech and, 191, 212–15; stigmatization and, 214
racial project, concept of, 208
racism: cyberspace as escape from, 211, 220–22; ignored, 214–15; naturalization of, 204, 220–21; as process, 209
Randy (pseud.), 81
RaveMage (pseud.): background of, 20; on class and computer use, 186; education of, 190, 202; on gender, 72; on harassment of newbies/ guests, 134; lom command and, 52–53; on race, 205, 210; on socializing off- vs. online, 158–59; on uncomfortable topics, 162
Raymond, E. S., 79
Reagan, Nancy, 76
rec.pets.cats (Usenet newsgroup), 127–28
Reid, Elizabeth, [261–62n13]
Reid, Helen, 167–68
relationships, 73, 76–77, 90–91. See also friendships (on- and offline); online relationships; romantic online relationships
Ren and Stimpy (cartoon), 16
restroom object, 50–51
Rimmer (pseud.), 86–87
Rockefeller (pseud.), 119–20
Roger Pollack (pseud.): diving platform object and, 48; lom command and, 52–53; nerd identity and, 83–84; research supported by, 238–39
role-playing muds: “backstage” area for, [261n5]; character parameters required by, [257n8]; identity continuity vs., 43–45, 116–18; as maledominated, 95; origins of, 40–43, [258n1]; themes and rooms integrated on, 32. See also games and gaming
romantic online relationships: example
― 299 ―of successful, 139–41; gender switching and, 119–20; media attention to, 141–42; offline failure of, 162; transition to offline, 160–61rooms, building, 32–33. See also Falcon (pub, pseud.); Nebula Cafe Bar (pseud.)
Rostopovich (pseud.): lom command and, 53; on robot, 114; wizard status and, 67–69
RTFM, definition of, 77–78
Schacht, Steven P., 244–45
Schutz, Alfred, 161
scoring systems, removal of, 41
self. See identities
sexism, 99–100; absence/presence of (online), 221–26; criticism of, 244–45; naturalization of, 220–21; terminology and, 82–84
sexual harassment: absence of, 94–95; text as speech vs. action and, [259n8]. See also sexism; virtual rape
sexuality: of BlueSky participants, 90–91; gender linked to, 84–90, 95–96, 172, 175, 177–79; heterosexual dropouts and, 90–94; identity concerns and, 120–22; intimacy vs., 91–92. See also gender; gender switching; homosexuality; transvestism
sexual language, 17–18, [259n8]; hidden from coworkers, 38–39; in masculine discourse, 78, 84–90; in quote fests, 60–61; women's participation in men's, 97–100
Shelly (pseud.), 96–97
shub, meaning of, 49–50
Siang, Sanyin, 242
Simpson, O. J., 212–13
Sleeter, Christine E., 200
socializing: and class identities, 190; male anxieties about, 83–84; object building vs., 43; off- vs. online, 158–59. See also face-to-face meetings; online interactions; social spaces
social norms: acceptance of, 166–67; development of, 46; of friendships, 141–42; as gendered, 10–11, 101, 104, 107–8, 124–25; of goaloriented behavior, 37; guests/ newbies and, 134–37; of maledominated spaces, 72, 95–100, 107–8; male friendship and, 169; of masculinity, 82–84, 87; negotiation of, 78; of online identities, 116–20, 135–37; possibility of changing, 216; privacy and, 66; racial slurs and, 213; of socializing off- vs. online, 159; wizards and, 63, 67–69
social science number, 240
social spaces: components of, 5–7; limitations of, 30; racial categorization of, 210–12; reified structure of, 221–22; safety net(work) in, 144–48; “third places” as, 142–43. See also face-to-face meetings; online interactions; pubs
sociology: as approach to cyberspace, 9–13, 16–20; attitudes toward, 240–41. See also ethnography
spam and spamming: as cause of crash, 66; triggers for, 218–19; use of term, 49, [258n3]
spike, use of term, 84–87
Spontaneity (pseud.): on gender and participation, 71–72, 100; on race, 205, 212, 216
spoofing, concept of, 54
Stanley, Liz, 239
Stansbury, David, [260n3]
Star Trek: muds based on, 43; “prime directive” in, 243–44; racial aspectsof, 199, 204
status: building objects/rooms as basisfor, 51, [257n7]; consolidating middleclass, 195–98; differences in, 62; and education, 188–90, 235; hierarchical, in computer programming, [260n2]; and humor, 129, 136–37, 153; and intelligence, 129, 133, 137; nerds and, 80–81; of offline encounters, 156, 158–59; as “regular,” 99; and storytelling, 153; of wizards, 34, 67–69. See also class;education; gender; race
Sterling, Bruce, [255–56n6]
Stomp (pseud.), 92–94
surfing, use of term, 6
Surly Gang: characteristics of, 94–95, 143; furries vs., 45–46; masquerades and, 121–22; mud origins and, 40–43; offline meetings of, 154–55; social norms and, 64. See also BlueSky (pseud., online forum); TinyFarm (mud)
Swain, Scott, 168
system administration: and mudding, 27, 36, 195–98; opportunities for, 195–98
technology: access to and ownershipof, 180–87; Internet as “strangemaking,”164; masculinities and, 72–73, 97; nerd status and, 80–81;power relations and, 137–38; worktalk online and, 73–78. See also computer culture
telephone, as cyberspace, [255–56n6]
Tempest (pseud.): gender discussionand, 177–78; nerd identity and, 83–84; on race, 205, 211
Terry, Robert, 203
textual communication: audience issues in, 126–27; as gendered, 72; as impersonal, 156–57; interpretationand reinterpretation of, 157–58, 166–67; limitations of, 62, 112, 123, 221–22, [259n14]; mudding and ethnography's intersection in, 233–35; on muds, 24, 29–30, 59; obnoxiousness in, 97–100; on- vs. offline, 220; as record, 173; repetition and ritualization of, 70; as speech vs. action, 66–67, [259n8]; television compared to, 7; types of, 5; typosin, 133
Thistle (pseud.), 79
Thomas (pseud.), 214
TinyFarm (mud), 42
TinyMUD Classic, 20, 40–41, 45; participants on, 41–42, 116–17, 147
TinySex, 120–21
Tolkien, J. R. R., [258n1]
Toni (pseud.): on face-to-face meetings, 164–65; gender switching of, 103–7, 224
transvestism, 222–23. See also gender switching
Traweek, Sharon, 237
Trubshaw, Roy, 40
trust, development of, 156–58
Turkle, Sherry: on anonymity, 112; on class, 183, 188; on gender, 11, 222, 223; on identity issues, 44, 112, 137, 225; on nerds, 80; on offline lives, 9–10
Ullman, E., [260n2]
Ulysses (pseud.): on BlueSky administration,
― 301 ―63; on BlueSky vs. neighborhood bar, 226; as comic book expert, 15; on debugging, 27; education of, 188; ethnicity of, 199–200, 202; guest characters and, 134–35; on nerd identity, 81; on newbies, 128; on race, 203, 204; sexual relationships and, 91, 92–94University of Montana, 40
Usenet newsgroups: audience of, 126; gender differences on, 11; invasion of, 127–28; lurking on, 16–17; offline contexts of, 9; valuation of, 37
user extensibility. See object building users, definition of, 77–78
Velocity (pseud.), 117
Vera, Hernan, 203
Vicious (pseud.), 115–16
violence, in heterosexual notions, 91–92
Virnoche, Mary E., 164
virtual pubs, 2–3, 32. See also Falcon (pub, pseud.); Nebula Cafe Bar (pseud.)
virtual realities: communications vs., 36; demonstration of, 181; disruption of, 7–8; ethnography and, [263–64n6]; gender switching in, 223; muds as textual, 5, 233; as wild frontier, 17–18
visual impairment, [262n2]
Wajcman, J., 80
Wakeford, N., 10
Walker, Karen, 169
Waskul, Dennis, 241
West, Candace, 187
Wheelock, Jane, 185
whisper (command): access to, 62–63; examples of, 101–2, 125, 150, 181, 203, 205–8, 211; meaning of, 229–30; mistakes in, 231; quote fests and, 59
whites: avoiding label of, 202–5; hierarchy of, 207–8; as negative identity/privileging of, 198–202; as presumptive identity, 210–12; racism ignored by, 214–15
white. weasel (pseud.), 219–20
Wise, Sue, 239
wit. See humor; intelligence
wizards: mud suicide and, 176–77, [262n4]; privileges of, 56, 62–63; respect for, 67–69; sanctions available to, 64–67; tasks of, 34, 62–69; use of term, 19
Woman on the Edge of Time (Piercy), [260n1]
women: masculinities performed by, 94–100; nerd identity and, 88–90; participation patterns of, 24–25, 156; as sexual objects, 85–87, 91–92, 94; stereotypes of, 91, 96–97. See also femininity
work: of BlueSky participants, 24, 25–28; class status and, 183–84, 190–91; finding, through muds, 147–48, 164, 195–98; local mud at, 182; muds as resources at, 36–39, 73–78; online talk during, 78–80; socializing on mud vs., 28–29. See also computer programming; coworkers; income; system administration
World Wide Web, as social space, 5–6
wormhole object, 132–33
Xavier (robot, pseud.): doing column and, 55, 56, 57; function of, 114–15
Xena (robot, pseud.): function of, 114–15; quoting of, 177, 236–37
You Are There (television series), 5