Does anyone else get the feeling that fantasy themes are predominant throughout the internet? From the internet troll to Wikipedia's WikiFauna, it seems like the internet as a whole likes to use fantasy themes to describe things. I even remember seeing someone on these forums describe themselves as a "old internet wizard" or something like that. I'm interested if anyone else feels like this is a thing, or if it's just me.
Going online is kind of like a fantasy adventure, so I can see the themes playing out. You've got quests, the "magic" of data which moves at near light speeds, "Wizards" who know a lot about this magic. Monsters aka viruses. Towns aka websites. Villagers aka website members. Yup, can see it.
I wasn't around back then so I couldn't say for sure, but a lot of the early adopters and creators of online communities who helped to form that baseline "internet culture" were probably DnD and general fantasy geeks already, right? I'd assume it comes from that. I never really thought about it before, to be honest.
I rather have the impression that much of computer terminology, including Internet terminology has been created by very old people and/or pathological technophobes. For example, a program which you use to view web pages and to go from one page to another is called a web BROWSER. As if following internet links to display web pages was somehow comparable to turning pages in a book. When you save the address of a web page, it's called a BOOKMARK. Apparently someone thought it had anything in common with putting a piece of paper between the pages of a book in order to easily find where you are with your reading. And so on.
Yes, I could definitely see this being the case, as computers started out as a very niche and "geeky" hobby.
I don't have a problem understanding and remembering the meaning of those terms, if that's what you mean. I'm just saying that the people who invented those terms seem to have difficulties thinking about electronic impulses carrying information without associating them to physical things that originate from the pre-computer era. To me, a saved URL hasn't got the slightest in common with a (paper) bookmark. Of course, those terms exist and are used by everyone, so I'm not suggesting they should be changed. I was merely answering the question if the Internet makes me feel like I'm in some sort of fantasy world. It doesn't. I sometimes feel like I'm in an environment created by people who still think typewriters, scissors and glue.
Interesting, I've never heard someone explain it from that perspective, but now you've got me thinking...
Do you have a better suggestion? Or, do you think that a superduper tech speak like "protoelcabulation transmanifold benoggler" or "felmsmer dissipator" would be aiding the adoption of said technology by the general public?
I already said that I don't suggest changing those terms, didn't I? (I mean, I can think of changing some computer terms so it would make more sense, but there is no point because everyone is using them and changing them would create great confusion.) When we have to name something new, it's inevitable to use words we already have, to a reasonable extent. But we don't say that pistols use very short and thick arrows made of metal. We have a separate word "bullet" for them. Much of computer terminology is equivalent to saying "metal bird" instead of "airplane".
