[-empyre-] networkOrama comes to an end..

[melt2@pacific.net.au]

dear empyre and guests
thank you all so much for your considered and energetic participation this month´s 
discussion focused on network culture and specifically the issues and visualisations of 
social networks of mailing lists. someone admitted to being on 37 different lists..  which 
i should imagine contributes enormously to information fatigue.. can you top that..?

It is obvious that from posts that lists grow from strength-to-strength in an evolution of 
the species type cross-fertilisation of issues and expereince from one list  to another.   
we delved early into the gender biases and sterotypical responses they elicit , and 
language and motivations employed by those posting  to lists including research, personal 
discussions and  the fine art of wanking,  and our discussion meandered through the 
definitions and intertwining intracies of a net based dialogue and publishing print texts, 
again utilizing the list as a research tool of "primary material." 

the functional necessity to keep  personal grievences away from the public life of the 
list was re-ittereated,  as was the eternal human desire to break rules -  to see how far 
the parameters of social sytems can be pushed  before the system breaks, or the 
individual is restrained.  

despite, or perhaps because of its simple textual immediacy the list is an emotional 
arena, we are very connected to our humanity and our bodily responses when we engage in 
these social, intellectual and critical dialogues. each individual shapes the lists and 
network structures they belong to, with their sphere of influence, their level of 
participation,   their enjoyment of lurking, or their  adrenaline rush of bravery or 
excitement in delurking. 

once again thank you all in being part of this discussion , which both reassesed some old 
ideas and considered some new ones.. it will be a pleasure to meet some of you (again) at 
ars elctronica starting tomorrow where the first conference sessions starting at 9am! 
are on network structures, visualisations and networks of power.

melinda