Virtual Culture : Identity and Communication in Cybersociety

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Summary: Is the Persona a defense or a culprit?
Review: This book is essential to understand the concept of persona in cybersociety. It is based on many articles that take examples of exchanges among people on one chat or in one forum, and how these exchanges can be effective as for changing the points of view of the cybernauts, to elaborate a common interest among the participants of the site who may have come together haphazardly or out of mere chance. It also shows how arguments can be effective on others and even push some negative topics into some straits, such as racist points of view that are confronted to arguments the standard racist paticipants have little chance to get across in real society, due to the ghettoisation of ideological groups. This book also shows how one gets onto the Internet, into these forums and chats by deciding on what personae they want to have, persona that may have little to do with the real selves of the persons behind : a male becomes a female, etc. This leads to a serious discussion of crime in such an environment. A crime is the result of the non-respect of a rule set by the webmasters of the site. But it cannot be dealt with as if it were the same « crime » in society. Hence a sexual crime in such an environment has little to do with the same sexual crime in society because it is a virtual crime, a crime that has no reality, no real direct consequences. Anyone can anyway protect themselves against such « agressions » by the personae they choose (some kind of shield that keeps the anonymity of the individuals), and by always being able to log-off, get out of the site. So what is a proper punishment for such « virtual crimes » ? The question is at least extremely complex and such crimes cannot be dealt with by normal courts. So what procedures and what « courts » can exist on the Internet. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.