Reader Response #3

"He is not seeing real people of course. This is all a part of the moving illustration by his computer according to specifications coming down the fiber-optic cable. The people are pieces of sftware called avators"-Stephenson

This is a paragraph in Snow Crash about the Metaverse. This is a virtual community that Hiro is a part of. My impression is that people join to meet new people and be a part of another world in which they can be who ever they wish. As quoted by Nelson:
"Your avator can look however you want it to, up to the limitations of your equipment. If you're ugly you can make your avator beautiful. If you've just gotten out of bed your avator can being still wearing beautiful clothes and professionally applied makeup."

People can use this virtual world to become someone they are not in reality. They can change their height, their eye color and even their breast size. Do these people do it for simply something to do or do these people do it so they can be someone their not? Who knows? It does allow people to become someone they are not if they do choose to. No one would ever find out who was lying because you only know these people based on their avators personality. So , really this virtual world is made up of people who are the same as reality and others who are posers.

Even your social standing in the virtual world can be different than reality. Take Hiro, for example, he lives in a not so nice place and delievers pizza for a living. However in the virtual world he is seen as high class and respected and even allowed into a prestige club like the Black Sun. Would he be allowed into a private club in reality I would highly doubt it.

I have mixed feelings about the virtual world. In seems appealing if someone like Hiro can jump and be considered rich and respected compared to his life is reality. I think it allows people to join a community in which they can become physically and socially ideal in their minds. Whether that can hinder or help someone's real self image, I don't know.It's a little to early to really know what's going on in the book, but it is obvious that this virtual world is playing a huge role in Hiro's life and it looks to only get more intense.