A Rape in Cyberspace

And it’s precisely this logic that provides the real magic in a place like LambdaMOO–not the fictive trappings of voodoo and shapeshifting and wizardry, but the conflation of speech and act that’s inevitable in any computer-mediated world, be it Lambda or the increasingly wired world at large. This is dangerous magic, to be sure, a potential threat–if misconstrued or misapplied–to our always precarious freedoms of expression, and as someone who lives by his words I do not take the threat lightly. And yet, on the other hand, I can no longer convince myself that our wishful insulation of language from the realm of action has ever been anything but a valuable kludge, a philosophically damaged stopgap against oppression that would just have to do till something truer and more elegant came along.

— Julian Dibbell ” A Rape in Cyberspace” (1993)

This passage is taken from the critical discussion about an unfortunate event that took place on the site LambdaMOO which is a multi-user domain. The event which was coined a ‘rape’ brought to light an in depth discussion of morality, eithics and ‘freedom of speech’ within the online domain. The issue at hand is if you remove the ability to express one’s self freely in these online domains, does that detract from the ‘magic’ of sites like LambdaMOO which are often an escape from the strict social discourses in society. The article is authored by Julian Dibbell in 1993 therefor being a precursor for many of the issues around online interactions and the power of words and actions in the online realm.

The passage is discussing the magic of the MUDs (multi-user domains), therefore stating the appeal to users. Dibbell explains that the appeal is not generated by the technological novelties such as the functions of trappings, voodoo, shapeshifting and wizardry. He suggests it is the merging of speech with action which generates the ‘magic’ or appeal of the site. In saying this Dibbell means that ability for the speech or words of a user to directly manipulate their own corresponding character is what attracts users to the site. It is then stated that this merge is inevitable in any computer or online word. It is what makes the online world enticing but also what has caused the fundamental issue played out in this article. The question he is raising in this passage is that can society be trusted with the freedom of expression they desire, as in the wrong hands it can go so terribly wrong. Dibble questions both the issue of freedom and the merging of words and actions.

Freedom of expression is a difficult concept in the discussion of online worlds. On one hand it is integral to their success. Many people are attracted to MUDs as they represent an escape from reality and a chance to branch out from societal norms. The article as a whole presents the negative effects of freedom of expression; if there are no rules the discourses of the online realm rely on the morality of its users. Dibble uses the word dangerous to describe this situation. Since the release of this article there has been far more talk about thus subject and it has been concluded that online is real life, and one should be held accountable for their cyber actions. The point that this passage raises is that this revelation would harm the magic of sites like LambdaMOO, as it relies on a certain freedom to generate appeal.

The other issue raised in the passage is that of the merge of speech in action. In reality, it is commonly known that a person can state one thing and act entirely differently. To contextualize, one might say “I’m going to kill so and so” but those around them would know full well they have no intention of physically acting that out. In MUD’s your speech is more directly associated to your actions, making it easier for violence to escalate.