The Modem World: A Prehistory of Social Media | Hardcover
Kevin Driscoll
Yale University Press | Yale University Press
Computers / History / Internet / History / Modern - 20th Century
Published May 17, 2022
..chronicles how modems (and particularly BBSes) shaped and
defined the social online culture we have today.
There are plenty of references to Fido and Fidonet throughout.
A few excerpts:
"Fido wasn't designed," Jennings had remarked to Byte... "It
was just built." p.68
"Forget the Fido code: the future of FidoNet depended on its
protocol. p.74
"Ben Baker, after "banging his head against the wall" and
"pleading" with users to try FidoNet, was thrilled by the
sudden enthusiasm for Echomail. Tom Jennings believed that
Echomail alone drove the adoption of FidoNet during the late
1980s. "It spread like wildfire," he recalled. "The traffic was
just enormous." New sysops were joining FidoNet specifically
to access Echomail. p.85
"While the internet discouraged people from thinking too much
about geography, FidoNet constantly reminded users that they
were people living in place. The unique net/node numbering
schema engendered a translocal imaginary of cyberspace as a
network of local communities rather than a global village or
virtual reality. Internet advocates envisioned cyberspace as an
escape from the physical world. FidoNet provided a means to
tunnel through it. p.89
About one third of the book comprises of Notes, and an Index.
But what about the future? The author has been spotted saying
this in response to that question in DOVENET:
To: /DOVEnet/DOVE-GEN (knightwise)
From: Ford Prefect @ 723:320/1
Subject: Re: New BBS history book
Software: Synchronet 3.19c-Linux master/04bb1bf85 Jun 15 2022 GCC 11.2.0
Path: 723:320/1!320/1
Date: Th 16.06.22, 12:54 (received: 17.06.22, 08:28)
Size: 2506 Bytes
Re: Re: New BBS history book
By: knightwise to Kevin Driscoll on Tue Jun 14 2022 09:37 pm
I was wondering what, seeing how you looked back into history, your thoughts are on the future of the net ? How do you see the internet evolve over the next 10 years. Will the internet break up because of legislation (China/US/Eu) or will the big platforms start to slug it out ? What are the chances we will to back to a decentralised self-hosted net ? Curious to hear what your take is on this.
Seeing how the internet has evolved since its inception, changes are to be expected. Taking a step
back and looking at the internet of the 80s, 90s, 2000s, and 2010s, you can readily see what's
changed, what's important, and what isn't. What we used in the 80s, simple e-mail communication,
file transfers, and the like, is now replaced with streaming services, social media, and always
available news and information.
But, will it break? I feel that the internet of today is not sustainable. There are too many
governments and localities trying to police what should be the free exchange of information, ideas,
and content. When BBSes were the "social media" purveyors, information was localized and only with
the help of FidoNet, RIME, and even IRC, local informed global. With the likes of Comcast,
CenturyLink, AT&T, and others having the ability to block content from going over their lines, this
simply has to stop.
Net neutrality must be enforced, not just at a country level, but throughout the entire planet.
When you have countries like Russia, China, and even the US, trying to police what can and cannot be
placed on the Internet, the Internet is no longer a free resource for information. Yes, the "Tide
Pod" crowd needs to start using their brains, but at the end of the day, this is the same as the
idiots who read "The Anarchists Cookbook", built a small pipebomb, and blew their legs off in the
80s. It is what it is.
Ultimately, until we remove the hyper-religious right, the hyper-liberal left, and focus on simply
being neutral, nothing will change for the better. Until then, I'll keep doing what I'm doing,
complaining about this and that, and hope that one day our elected officials will get their heads
out of their asses.
Brian Klauss <-> Ford Prefect
42bytes a Synchronet BBS =========> 42bytes.net
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■ Synchronet ■ 42bytes - 42bytes.net - Don't Panic!
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