Page 30 RAIN November/December 1985 souls, free of the learned prejudices and other baggage we carry with us to any human encounter, the New Medium may do more than all of the world's churches, Sunday schools, and synagogues combined to bring about the Millennium. At the very least, this could bring us closer to realizing the ideals set forth in John Lennon's "Imagine." Other Shapings The tool is shaping the toolmaker in other ways as well. SQUARE 8 works in planning and control at a TRW office in California. She reports that "CB has given me more confidence with verbal skills. I have positively changed my posture with people I deal with at work or socially." FOUNTAIN, a 28 year-old police dispatcher, credits CB with helping to bring her out of the depression she felt after breaking up with a boyfriend. Other effects may be less salubrious. Scores of on-line communicators in every area admit to being hopelessly addicted to the New Medium. Says one, "My day isn't complete until I've had my on-line 'fix.' I always check my mailboxes and keep up with my electronic correspondence. Then I sign on to CB to see what's happening. It's more relaxing and more stimulating than television. If I miss more than a day or two, I begin to suffer withdrawal." Though probably no more serious than an addiction to chocolate, at 10 to 20 cents a minute, the on-line habit is certainly more expensive to feed. The unprecedented opportunity for pure, mind-to-mind communication may one day be seen as the electronic universe's greatest contribution to society. Some communicators also find that they now tend to talk too fast in normal conversation and, accustomed to the telegraphic nature of the medium, tend to grow impatient with long replies. Some even find that the CB-developed habit of carrying on several conversations at once causes them to jump from topic to topic, with no necessary connection in between, when talking to friends. "Anonymic" Tension It is likely to be some time before these and other effects have a widespread impact. The total subscriber- ship for CompuServe and The Source combined presently represents fewer than 300,000 individuals. So the sample is relatively small. Still, the subject could easily support more than one doctoral thesis. At this stage, the impact humans are having on the medium is easier to see. Ironically, most of these efforts are directed at overcoming anonymity by establishing an identity that somehow bears a personal stamp. In short, there is clearly a dynamic tension between the inherent anonymity of the New Medium and its benefits and the human need to "be somebody." The most frequently used technique on CB and to some extent in other areas as well, involves the choice of "handles" or noms de communications. Handles range from the simple to the suggestive, from the obvious to the obscure, and from the cryptic to the coy. Many are clearly intended as attention-grabbing image-creators, and many are decked out with typographical devices. Here is but a brief sample: 'DREAMSEEKER' Baroness von Slink Nice Man »stoner« Tyrebyter *»»>MARGIE<*»» <BLUE-EYED GAL> Admiral James T. Kirk LADY LAWYER My all-time favorite, though, and the winner of the typographical creativity award is: “ Mountain * Man . These handles clearly connote individuality, and many of them belong to people who have established unique personalities for themselves through long use of the system. These personalities are the recognized leaders of CB society, and it is a society, with its own developing set of conventions and rules. For example, obscenity or disruptive behaviour on the open channels is not only officially prohibited by CompuServe (what you do on the private channels is your own business), it is enforced by the society itself. Each member has the power to squelch transmissions from an objectionable individual by handle or by user ID. Secretly monitoring conversations without contributing is called "lurking." This is the electronic equivalent of eavesdropping, and it is severely frowned upon. Proper form calls for you to announce your arrivals and departures. A simple "Hi" or "Bye" will be fine. If possible, each member of the assembled community will acknowledge both. (The /UST or "user status" command allows communicators to check who's tuned in to a channel at any time.) The Ultimate Antidote to Anonymity Increasingly CB society has taken on a physical dimension as well. In the ultimate human response to anonymity, more and more CBers are meeting in person. From the beginning, some CBers who met on-line have arranged to meet in person. You may have read of the marriages that originated with electronic encounters and the ceremonies that have been conducted on the system. The CB SIG database has always carried informal reports of in-person get togethers held by CBers across the country. Recently, however, party invitations, announcements, and reports have evolved into a regular feature. You'll find them in "Cupcake's Column" (GO CUP-1),
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