William Gibson develops the concept of the Internet and idea of the social network in a monumental way in his novel, Pattern Recognition. Today’s culture is very dependent on these ideas, but when this novel is set and written, the role of online social network sites and the Internet in general, is much less important. Regardless, Gibson uses his creative rights to increase the novel’s dependence on these topics, especially in Cayce’s situation.
For example, what is Cayce’s main mission throughout the majority of the novel? She is trying to find the source of those video clips on the F:F:F blog. For the majority of the novel, she is mildly unsuccessful, but then finally in chapter 32, Cayce is able to contact the “maker” through her e-mail address. And while this did not include and actual online social network, Gibson definitely presents the potential of that very idea. Cayce is finally able to talk and meet with the “maker,” Stella, and she would not have been able to do that without the creation of the Internet. The social relationship that is created between Stella and Cayce thanks to their e-mails also shows the importance of e-mail and Internet in their relationship.
Without the social relationship on the Internet, Cayce’s job would not have even been completed, because she would not have been successful. In fact her ability to find out Stella’s e-mail address is what set her apart from all the other people looking for the same video makers. Cayce’s life is even threatened later in the novel because of that valuable piece of knowledge. Through the Internet e-mails, Cayce really was able to create this relationship that Stella was able to trust. Then Stella allowed Cayce to really understand and find out more than she could have ever imagined about her coveted video clips.
No comments:
Post a Comment