Lost and Found--Perpetual State of the Web

The Superhighway. The Internet. The World Wide Web. Have you noticed that computer terminology tends toward the grandiose and hyperbolic? This is lingo with the not-so-subtle purpose of conjuring images of exploration and intrigue, of lost worlds and new frontiers.

We, the intrepid cyberspace travelers, will, from the comfort of our ergonomically adjusted computer pods, sail into oblivion and come back with all the secrets of the universe. Sure, we don’t actually get to go anywhere, but think about it: This virtual experience has only virtual risks. Which, apparently, adds up to virtual perfection.

Yeah, right. It’s more like virtual chaos. While the word “superhighway” may summon images of fast and expensive cars gliding effortlessly down vast, empty stretches of road, I see another picture altogether--one with crashes, breakdowns, traffic jams and gluey bug parts splattered on the windshield.

While the World Wide Web speaks poetically of an infinite and complex network of information to some people, I see myself snared, like a fat, juicy fly in a sticky net, with no way in and no way out.

“I felt the same way until I attended an Internet beginner’s class,” said Ann Shields, who wrote about her experience for today’s Weekend Warrior (page 41). “Before the class, I had just enough knowledge to get into trouble,” she said. “The class made me more confident about going on the Internet and not getting totally lost. I now understand some of the basics of interspace travel.”

But with all those chat rooms, news and special interest groups, not to mention the zillion Web sights, how does anyone make sense of so much raw material?

“You learn to block out everything that is interfering with what you want to know,” she said.

At this point, Shields said, she has figured out enough to have located relatives and old friends and downloaded their letters and photos from the Internet.

“The problem now,” she said, “is that I can’t find any of it. It’s all lost in my own computer.”