cture: The Internet is unique, yet the policies that shape its design and use are often influenced by the metaphors that we ascribe to it. The rules that govern, say, telephone communications probab
ly won't translate well to the Net.
Why is this a big deal? Although metaphors are useful for explaining the Internet to novices, they mask subtle but important differences. Lawmakers, notoriously uneducated about the on-line world, might impose ill-fitting regulations. Companies might try to adapt existing but inappropriate commerce models to it. Most important, as these metaphors become more and more entrenched in the public subconscious, we lose sight of the vision that Stefik and his chosen essayists outline for the Net.
Stefik organizes the book into four parts, each representing a different metaphor. These include the digital library, electronic mail, electronic marketplace, and the digital world. The essays show the evolution of the metaphor, as well as present a vision of the Net's potential. For example, philosopher Scott D.N. Cook tackles what he calls the Gutenberg Myth, explaining that the invention of the printing press was only one of the events that, over centuries, bro
ught about mass literacy. Laura Fillmore tells what it's like to be an on-line publisher.
Stefik introduces each essay, then puts it into perspective with an ending commentary.
Internet Dreams
is not just a philosophical argument, therefore, but a valuable history (and prehistory) of the Net. In fact, no other book that I'm aware of portrays the philosophical development of the Internet with such depth and perspective.
The book carefully explains where each metaphor fails, but Stefik doesn't really offer any new metaphors, which I took to suggest that it's time for us to accept the Net for what it is. Once we discard that old baggage, we can move on.
Most of the essays were written for an academic or professional audience, and the writing is sometimes dense and dry. Stefik assumes that his readers will be experienced Net users, yet the book repetitively explains some of its most basic aspects. But don't let these nits stop you from reading this book. Stefik brings clarity, focus, and hist
orical perspective to the Internet.
Book Review: Net Metaphors
