Anthro-l and the "del" button

S.PAIN (S.Pain@UEA.AC.UK)
Mon, 13 Mar 1995 12:36:50 WET

I must say the volume of mail on the Robert Johnson issue has left me
in awe. No doubt those who have to down-load this mail must be wondering
where is it going to end. I thought of that scene in the 9-5 film in
which a photocopier goes crazy, but it actually reminds me more of the
pachinko parlour--one will have to spend hours in the future pressing
one or two buttons, the reward? I can't imagine what Anthro-l will be
like in ten year's time. Perhaps everyone will have their own virtual
list-owner who will read and decide what is best saved. I don't know,
but surely the gap between those who have access and those denied access
either through poverty or politics will become even greater. This distance
is interesting when we consider the relative position of those carrying
out fieldwork and those who are subjects. We already see people with
lap-top computers sitting out in the sun, quite merrily tapping away
into the cyberspace, divorced from those looking on.
Yours,
Stephen.