Real and True in Cyberspace

     The reading "Rape in Cyberspace" raised questions of the new ethics that will emerge with the increasingly real world of cyberspace.  Following the assaults in LambdaMOO, users found it imperative to act.  Indeed, some users related their own real-world sexual assaults to that which took place in the world of LambdaMoo.  The case became complicated as debate burgeoned around when and how to establish a system of rules and governance, especially when the case could potentially end in what would be the equivalent of a user's "death sentence."  

     The reading further problematizes the notions of "real" and "true" we have been dealing with in this section of the course, as well as, the role of ethics accompanying the transition from the real to the cyberreal.  We have already seen real world practices transition into cyberworlds such as Second Life where you can use real money to buy virtual property.  The line between real life and virtual life seems to become increasingly blurred.  What is real in virtual lives is not necessarily true, as demonstrated by the Sarah Parker case; however, as the article showed, users still expect some universal truths and values to hold and view the emotional shock of such events as real.  What is at stake in this?  Is this going to effect our perception of real life reality or for that matter, our perception of the reality of virtual life and how we act in that sphere?   

     Furthermore, social networks such as Facebook already are incorporated into our daily life and conversation so that these virtual networks offer a new genre of "flow."  Should cites such as SecondLife, TinyWorld, and Lambdamoo become as integrated into daily life as Facebook, will we need them as Danah Boyd argues we need online social networks to legitimize our own being?  It is an interesting thought: to need the virtual to legitimize the real and it would certainly be an interesting result that from our initial desires for escape we create a medium through which to define our reality.