Frontier Rhetoric
Another important aspect of Internet rhetoric is the idea of the Internet
as a frontier. In Western mythos the frontier is a "realm of limitless
possibilities and few social controls".(Miller p.50) Such a metaphor makes
the Net a place of liberation. It is important to remember that the word
"frontier" has usually been ascribed to a physical place. The Web, however,
is a completely bodiless, symbolic thing with no discernible boundaries or
location. Unlike a physical frontier, the Net was created by its pioneers.
The central idea of a frontier is that it provides liberation from the demands
of society. This is an odd metaphor for the Net since the Net has nothing
to offer but society. Without other people the Net would be useless. Unlike
a physical frontier the Net must be shared to be useful. The choice of the
word frontier also suggest an area beyond the edge of that which is owned.
It does not belong to anyone, but it is capable on being owned. This virtual
frontier is also susceptible to the psychosexual undercurrents of Western
society. (Miller, p.51) "The frontier is a lawless society of men, a milieu
in which physical strength, courage, and personal charisma supplant institutional
authority and violent conflict is the accepted means of settling
disputes".(Miller, p.52) It is easy to see why a group made up predominantly
of males would adopt such a mythology.Under this metaphor the frontier remains
uncivilized as long as it is populated only by men. As soon as women and
children move on to the frontier laws must be put into effect to protect
those who cannot protect themselves. Such a mythos believes that a woman
cannot function in a world ruled by brute force. In the Western mythos,
civilization is necessary to protect women and children from being victimized
in a completely free society. There are problems of alienation with this
metaphor. It makes the assumption that even in cyberspace sex and age are
defining factors. This runs in direct conflict with the rhetoric of a liberating
Internet. Thus, people are still judged by the factors of age and sex.
A text copy of the paper is also available as are references.
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