II. INTRODUCTION

The world of the Netizen was envisioned some twenty five years ago by J.C.R. Licklider and Robert Taylor in "The Computer as a Communication Device" (Science and Technology, April 1968). Licklider brought to his leadership of the Department of Defense's ARPANET a vision of "the intergalatic computer network." Whenever he would speak of ARPANET, he would mention this vision. J.C.R. Licklider was a prophet of the Net. In his paper, "The Computer as a Communication Device", Licklider establishes several helpful principles as to make the computer play a helpful role in human communication. Licklider clarified his definition of communication as a creative process by writing:

" But to communicate is more than to send and to receive. Do two tape recorders communicate when they play to each other and record from each other? Not really - not in our sense. We believe that communicators have to do something nontrivial with the information they send and receive. And to interact with the richness of living information -- not merely in the passive way that we have become accustomed to using books and libraries, but as active participants in an ongoing process, bringing something to it through our interaction with it, and not simply receiving from it by our connection to it...We want to emphasize something beyond its one-way transfer: the increasing significance of the jointly constructive, the mutually reinforcing aspect of communication - the part that transcends 'now we both know a fact that only one of us knew before.' When minds interact, new ideas emerge. We want to talk about the creative aspect of communication."

Licklider defines four principles for computers to make a contribution towards human communication. They are:

1) Communication is defined as an interactive creative process.

2) Response times needs to be short to make the "conversation" free and easy.

3) The larger network would form out of smaller regional networks.

4) Communities would form out of affinity and common interests.

In this paper I will explore the uses Netizens have discovered for the Net. Licklider's understandings from his 1968 paper have stood the test of time, and do represent the Net today. In a later paper he co-wrote with Albert Vezza, "Applications of Information Networks" (Proceedings of IEEE, Vol 66, No 11, Nov 1978) Licklider explores possible business applications of information networks. Licklider's survey of business applications in 1978 come short of the possibilities he outlaid in his earlier paper, and represent but a tiny fraction of the resources the Net currently embodies.

Licklider focused on the Net comprising of a network of networks. While other researchers of the time focused on the sharing of computing resources, Licklider kept an open mind and wrote:

" ...The collection of people, hardware, and software - the multi-access computer together with its local community of users - will become a node in a geographically distributed computer network. Let us assume for a moment that such a network has been formed....Through the network of message processors, therefore, all the large computers can communicate with one another. And through them, all the members of the supercommunity can communicate - with other people, with programs, with data, or with a selected combinations of those resources." (32)

His concept of the sharing of both computing and human resources together matches the modern Net. The networking of various human connections quickly forms, changes its goals, disbands and reforms into new collaborations. The fluidity of such group dynamics leads to a quickening of the creation of new ideas. Groups can form to discuss an idea, focus in or broaden out and reform to fit the new ideas that have been worked out.

Netnews, IRC, mailing lists and MUD/MUSH/MOO/M** (various of the available discussion tools on the Net) are extremely dynamic. Most can be formed immediately for either short or long term use. As interests or events form, discussion groups can be created. (e.g.: 9NOV89-L about Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall and Unification.)

The virtual space created on (non-commercial) computer networks is accessible universally. This space is accessible from the connections that exist. Whereas social networks in the physical world generally are connected by limited gateways. So the capability of networking on computer nets overcomes limitations inherent in non-computer social networks. This is important because it reduces the problems of population growth. Population growth now does not mean limited resources any more - rather that very growth of population now means an improvement of resources. Thus growth of population can be seen as a positive asset. This is a new way of looking at people in capitalist society. Every new person can mean a new set of perspectives and specialties to add to the wealth of knowledge of the world. This new view of people could help improve the view of the future. The old model looks down on population growth and people as a strain on the environment rather than the increase of intellectual contribution these individuals can make. However, access to the Net needs to be universal for the Net to fully utilize the contribution each person can represent. Once access is limited - the Net and those on the Net lose the possible advantages the Net can offer. Lastly the people on the Net need to be active in order to bring about the best possible use of the Network.

Licklider foresaw that the Net allows for people of common interests, who are otherwise strangers, to communicate. Much of the magic of the Net is the ability to make a contribution of your ideas, and then be connected to utter strangers. He saw that people would connect to others via this net in ways that had been much harder in the past. Licklider observed as the ARPANET spanned two continents. This physical connection allowed for wider social collaborations to forms. This was the beginning of Computer Data networks facilitating connections of people around the world.

The Net is alive because of its use by ordinary people. Pioneering research is happening, but the meat of the Net experience is the normal everyday use of the Net. Thus I have included many of the responses to my research in this paper. In response to another survey of Net uses, Steve Cavrak Steve.Cavrak@UVM.EDU recently wrote the following to the COMMUNET mailing list:

" The Internet is NOT a place of 'innovative stories.' Rather it is a place of impressingly common, every day electronic activity. It is not a hot bed of dangerous, high-tech, experimentation, it is a place where pretty much ordinary people do their day to day work."

My research on and about the Net was very exciting for me. When I posted my inquiries, I usually received the first reply within a couple of hours. The feeling of receiving that very first reply from a total stranger is always exhilarating! That set of first replies from people reminds me of the magic of E-Mail. It is nice that there can be reminders of how exciting it all is - so that the value does not become lost in the shuffle.

What follows is the collection and presentation of but a little of the wonderful data that I received in the process of my research utilizing the Net.