Researching the "Net":
A talk on The Evolution of Usenet News and
The Significance of the Global Computer Network
A Speech give to Columbia University's student ACM Chapter
on 4/24/94
based on my paper titled
THE NET AND NETIZENS:
The Impact the Net has on People's Lives
(available as chapter 7 of the netbook "The Netizens and the
Wonderful World of the Net: An Anthology" at
http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/project_book.html
Welcome to the 21st Century. You are a Netizen, or a Net
Citizen, and you exist as a citizen of the world thanks to the
global connectivity that the Net makes possible. You consider
everyone as your compatriot. You physically live in one country
but you are in contact with much of the world via the global
computer network. Virtually you live next door to every other
single Netizen in the world. Geographical separation is replaced
by existence in the same virtual space.
The situation I describe is only a prediction of the future,
but a large part of the necessary infrastructure currently
exists. The Net - or the Internet, BITNET, FIDOnet, other physi-
cal networks, Usenet, VMSnet, and other logical networks and so
on - has rapidly grown to cover all of the developed countries in
the world. Every day more computers attach to the existing
networks and every new computer adds to the user base - at least
twenty five million people are interconnected today. Why do all these
people pass their time sitting in front of a computer typing
away? They have very good reason to! Twenty five million people
plus have very good reason not to be wrong.
We are seeing a revitalization of society. The frameworks
are being redesigned from the bottom up. A new more democratic
world is becoming possible. According to one user, the Net has
"immeasurably increased the quality of ... life." The Net seems
to open a new lease on life for people. Social connections which
were never before possible, or which were relatively hard to
achieve, are now facilitated by the Net. Geography and time no
longer are boundaries. Social limitations and conventions no
longer prevent potential friendships or partnerships. In this
manner Netizens are meeting other Netizens from far-away and
close by that they might never have met without the Net.
A new world of connections between people - either privately
from individual to individual or publicly from individuals to the
collective mass of many on the net - is possible. The old model
of central distribution of information from the Network
Broadcasting or Publication Company is being questioned and
challenged. The top-down model of information being distributed
by a few for mass-consumption is no longer the only News. Netnews
brings the power of the reporter to the Netizen. People now have
the ability to broadcast their observations or questions around
the world and have other people respond. The computer networks
form a new grassroots connection that allows the excluded sec-
tions of society to have a voice. This new medium is unprecedent-
ed. Previous grassroots media have existed for much smaller-
sized selections of people. The model of the Net proves the old
way does not have to be the only way of networking. The Net
extends the idea of networking - of making connections with
strangers that prove to be advantageous to one or both parties.
The complete connection of the body of citizens of the world
that the Net makes possible does not exist as of today, and it
will definitely be a fight to make access to the Net open and
available to all. However, in the future we might be seeing the
possible expansion of what it means to be a social animal.
Practically every single individual on the Net today is available
to every other person on the Net. International connection
coexists on the same level with local connection. Also the
computer networks allow a more advanced connection between the
people who are communicating. With computer-communication sys-
tems, information or thoughts are connected to people's names and
electronic-mail addresses. On the Net, one can connect to others
who have similar interests or whose thought processes they enjoy.
Netizens make it a point to be helpful and friendly - if
they feel it to be worthwhile. Many Netizens feel they have an
obligation to be helpful and answer queries and followup on
discussions to put their opinion into the pot of opinions. Over a
period of time the voluntary contributions to the Net have built
it into a useful connection to other people around the world. The
Net can be a helpful medium to understand the world. Only by
seeing all points of view can any one person attempt to figure
out either their own position on a topic or in the end, the truth.
Net Society differs from off-line society by welcoming
intellectual activity. People are encouraged to have things on
their mind and to present those ideas to the Net. People are
allowed to be intellectually interesting and interested. This
intellectual activity forms a major part of the on-line informa-
tion that is carried by the various computer networks. Netizens
can interact with other people to help add to or alter that
information. Brain-storming between varieties of people produces
robust thinking. Information is no longer a fixed commodity or
resource on the Nets. It is constantly being added to and im-
proved collectively. The Net is a grand intellectual and social
commune in the spirit of the collective nature present at the
origins of human society. Netizens working together continually
expand the store of information worldwide. One person called the
Net an untapped resource because it provides an alternative to
the normal channels and ways of doing things. The Net allows for
the meeting of minds to form and develop ideas. It brings
people's thinking processes out of isolation and into the open.
Every user of the Net gains the role of being special and useful.
The fact that every user has his or her own opinions and
interests adds to the general body of specialized knowledge on
the Net. Each Netizen thus becomes a special resource valuable to
the Net. Each user contributes to the whole intellectual and
social value and possibilities of the Net.
--
II. Licklider, the Visionary
The world of the Netizen was envisioned some twenty five
years ago by J.C.R. Licklider and Robert Taylor in their article
"The Computer as a Communication Device" (Science and Technology,
April 1968). Licklider brought to his leadership of the US Depart-
ment of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) a
vision of "the intergalactic computer network." Whenever he would
speak of ARPA, he would mention this vision. J.C.R. Licklider was
a prophet of the Net. In his article Licklider establishes
several helpful principles which would make the computer play a
helpful role in human communication. These principles were:
1) Communication is defined as an interactive creative process.
2) Response times need to be short to make the "conversation"
free and easy.
3) The larger network would form out of smaller regional
networks.
4) Communities would form out of affinity and common interests.
Licklider focused on the Net comprising of a network of
networks. While other researchers of the time focused on the
sharing of computing resources, Licklider kept an open mind and
wrote:
"...The collection of people, hardware, and software -
the multi-access computer together with its local
community of users - will become a node in a geographi-
cally distributed computer network.....Through the
network, therefore, all the large computers can commu-
nicate with one another. And through them, all the mem-
bers of the supercommunity can communicate - with other
people, with programs, with data, or with a selected
combinations of those resources." (32)
Licklider's understandings from his 1968 paper have stood
the test of time, and do represent what the Net is today. His
concept of the sharing of both computing and human resources
accurately describes today's Net. The networking of various human
connections quickly forms, changes its goals, disbands and
reforms into new collaborations. The fluidity of such group
dynamics leads to a quickening of the creation of new ideas.
Groups can form to discuss an idea, focus in or broaden out and
reform to fit the new ideas that have resulted from the process.
The virtual space created on non-commercial computer net-
works is accessible universally. This space is accessible from
the connections that exist; whereas social networks in the
physical world generally are connected only by limited gateways.
So the capability of networking on computer nets overcomes
limitations inherent in non-computer social networks. This is
important because it reduces the problems of population growth.
Population growth no longer means limited. Rather that very
growth of population now means an improvement of resources. Thus
growth of population can be seen as a positive asset. This is a
new way of looking at people in our society. Every new person can
mean a new set of perspectives and specialties to add to the
wealth of knowledge of the world. This new view of people could
help improve the view of the future. The old model looks down on
population growth and people as a strain on the environment
rather than the increase of intellectual contribution these
individuals can make. However, access to the Net needs to be
universal for the Net to fully utilize the contribution each
person can represent. Once access is limited, the Net and those
on the Net lose the full possible advantages the Net can offer.
Lastly the people on the Net need to be active in order to bring
about the best possible use of the Network.
Licklider foresaw that the Net allows for people of common
interests, who are otherwise strangers, to communicate. Much of
the magic of the Net is the ability to make a contribution of
your ideas, and then be connected to utter strangers. He saw that
people would connect to others via this net in ways that had been
much harder in the past. Licklider observed as the ARPANET
spanned two continents. This physical connection allowed for
wider social collaborations to form. This was the beginning of
Computer Data networks facilitating connections of people around
the world.
My research on and about the Net has been and continues to
be very exciting for me. When I posted my inquiries, I usually
received the first reply within a couple of hours. The feeling of
receiving that very first reply from a total stranger is always
exhilarating! That set of first replies from people reminds me of
the magic of E-Mail. It is nice that there can be reminders of
how exciting it all is - so that the value of this new use of
computers is never forgotten.
III. CRITICAL MASS
The Net has grown so much in the last 25 years, that a critical
mass of people and interests has been reached. This collection of
individuals adds to the interests and specialties of the whole
community. Most people can now gain something from the Net, while
at the same time helping it out. A critical mass has developed on
the net. Enough people exist that the whole is now greater than
any one individual and thus makes the Net worthwhile to be part
of. People are meshing intellects and knowledge to form new
ideas. Larry Press made this clear by writing:
"I now work on the Net at least 2 hours per day. I've had an
account since around 1975 but it has only become super important
in the last couple of years because a critical mass of membership
was reached. I no longer work in LA, but in cyberspace."
Many inhabitants of the Net feel that only the most techni-
cally inclined people use the Net. This is not true, as many
different kinds of people are now connected to the Net. While the
original users of the Net were from exclusively technical and
scientific communities, many of them found it a valuable experi-
ence to explore the Net for more than just technical reasons.
The nets, in their early days, were only available in a few parts
the world. Now however, people of all ages, from most parts of
the globe, and of many professions, make up the Net. The original
prototype networks (e.g.: ARPAnet in the USA, NPL in the United
Kingdom, CYCLADES in France and other networks around the world)
developed the necessary physical infrastructure for a fertile
social network to develop. Einar Stefferud wrote of this social
connection in an article,
"The ARPANET has produced several monumental results. It
provided the physical and electrical communications backbone for
development of the latent social infrastructure we now call 'THE
INTERNET COMMUNITY.'" (ConneXions, Oct. 1989 vol 3 No. 10. pg.21)
Many different kinds of people comprise the Net. The Univer-
sity Community sponsors access for a broad range of people
(students, professors, staff, professor emeritus, and so on).
Programmers, engineers and researchers from many companies are
connected. A K-12 Net exists within the lower grades of education
which helps to invite young people to be a part of our community.
Special Bulletin Board software (for example Waffle) exists to
connect Personal Computer users to the Net. Various Unix bulletin
board systems exist to connect other users. It is impossible to
tell exactly who connects to public bulletin board systems, as
only an inexpensive computer (or terminal) and modem are required
to connect. Many common bulletin board systems (for example fido
board) have at least e-mail and many also participate through a
gateway to Netnews. Prototype Community Network Systems are
forming around the world (e.g.: In Cleveland - the cleveland
Freenet, In New Zealand - the Wellington Citynet, In California,
the Santa Monica Public Electronic Network, etc) Access via these
community systems can be as easy as visiting the community
library and membership is open to all who live in the community.
In addition to the living body of resources this diversity
of Netizens represent, there is also a continually growing body
of digitized data that forms a set of resources. Whether it is
Netizens digitizing great literature of the past (e.g.: the
Gutenberg Project), or it is people gathering otherwise obscure
or non-mainstream material (e.g.: Various Religions, unusual
hobbies, fringe and cult materials, and so on), or if it is
Netizens contributing new and original material (e.g.: the
Amateur Computerist Newsletter), the net follows in the great
tradition of other public bottom-up institutions, such as the
public library or the principle behind public education. The Net
shares with these institutions that they serve the general
populace. This data is just part of the treasure. Often living
Netizens provide pointers to this digitized store of publicly
available information. Many of the network access tools have
been programmed with the principle of being available to every-
one. The best example is the method of connecting to file reposi-
tories via FTP (file transfer protocol) by logging in as an
"anonymous" user. Most (if not all) World Wide Web Sites, Wide
Area Information Systems (WAIS), and gopher sites are open for
all users of the Net. It is true that the current membership of
the Net Community is smaller than it will be, but the net has
reached a point of general usefulness no matter who you are.
All of this evidence is exactly why there could be prob-
lems if the Net comes under the control of commercial entities.
Once commercial interests gain control, the Net will be much less
powerful for the ordinary person than it is currently. Commercial
interests vary from those of the common person. They attempt to
make profit from any available means. Compuserve is an example of
one current commercial network. A user of Compuserve pays for
access by the minute. If this scenero would be extended to the
Net of which I speak, the Netiquite of being helpful would
have a price tag attached to it. If people had had to pay by the
minute during the Net's development, very few would have been
able to afford the network time needed to be helpful to others.
The Net has only developed because of the hard work and
voluntary dedication of many people. It has grown because the Net
is under the control and power of the people at a bottom-level, and
because these people have over the years made a point to make it
something worthwhile. People's posts and contributions to the Net
have been the developing forces.
IV. Network as a New Democratic Force
For the people of the World, the Net provides a powerful way
of peaceful assembly. Peaceful Assembly allows for people to take
control over their lives, rather than that control being in the
hands of others. This power has to be honored and protected. Any
medium or tool that helps people to hold or gain power is some-
thing that is special and has to be protected. (See "The Computer
as Democratizer", Amateur Computerist Newsletter, Vol 4, No 5,
Fall 1992)
J.C.R. Licklider believed that access to the then growing
information network should be made ubiquitous. He felt that the
Net's value would depend on high connectivity. In his article,
"The Computer as a Communication Device", Licklider argues that
the impact upon society depends on how available the network is
to the society as a whole. He wrote:
"For the society, the impact will be good or bad depending
mainly on the question: Will `to be on line' be a privilege or a
right? If only a favored segment of the population gets a chance
to enjoy the advantage of `intelligence amplification,' the
network may exaggerate the discontinuity in the spectrum of
intellectual opportunity."
The Net has made a valuable impact to human society. I have
heard from many people how their lives have been substantially
improved via their connection to the Net. This enhancement of
people's lives provides the incentive needed for providing access
to all in society. Society will improve if net access is made
available to people as a whole. Only if access is universal will
the Net itself truly advance. The ubiquitous connection is neces-
sary for the Net to encompass all possible resources. One Net
visionary responded to my research by calling for universal
access. Steve Welch wrote:
"If we can get to the point where anyone who gets out of high
school alive has used computers to communicate on the Net or a
reasonable facsimile or successor to it, then we as a society
will benefit in ways not currently understandable. When access
to information is as ubiquitous as access to the phone system,
all hell will break loose. Bet on it."
Steve is right, "all hell will break loose" in the most
positive of ways imaginable. The philosophers Thomas Paine, Jean
Jacques Rousseau, and all other fighters for democracy would have
been proud.
Similar to past communications advances such as the printing
press, mail, and the telephone, the Global Computer Communica-
tions Network has already fundementally changed our lives.
Licklider predicted that the Net would fundamentally change the
way people live and work. It is important to try to understand
this impact, so as to help further this advance.
Michael Hauben / hauben@columbia.edu