Abstract:
Analysis of internet governance on the large scale is furthered by the study of
the ways governance is already emerging online as this elucidates the
dynamics of organisation and events and the ways that effective governance
may manifest or be disrupted. This paper argues that there are three main
factors influencing such governance: the organisation of communication
(whether the forum is a mailing list, MOO, Newsgroup, weblog etc); existential
issues of 'being' online (such as suspension of being, flame, and patterns of
exchange); and the rhetorical mobilization of offline categories.
The paper focuses on the governance of a Mailing list called Cybermind, and
gives short case studies of the processes arising in its formation and in two
disputes. It shows the ways that issues of organisation, authenticity and
categories of gender and race influenced the course of the arguments. In all
cases offline issues and categories were fundamental to the disputes, but
mediated by the existential factors of online life.
