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Review by Wes Breazeale
These days, the terms Internet, World Wide Web, e-mail and a myriad of other cyber words are a part of our vernacular. Yet it was not long ago that reference to any of these topics would have drawn a questioning stare from all but the most computer literate.
As the popularity of the Internet and the online experience began expanding past its academic and technical boundaries, more and more people became intrigued by the possibilities it presented. Individuals bold enough to experiment with this new technology were in for quite an adventure.
Deeper, by John Seabrook, technology writer for The New Yorker, chronicles one such journey. As he learns more about the ways of the Net, his status slowly changes. From confused onlooker to active participant, Seabrook ends up as moderator of an Internet discussion group and owner of his own home page. What happens in between is a fascinating study of a man and his journey into the unknown.
In Deeper Seabrook avoids the pitfalls that many technology books fall into; he is neither too technical, nor does he talk down to his audience. Instead he clearly and eloquently captures the joy and amazement that accompany first discovery. Like Columbus viewing the New World, Seabrook conveys a sense of wonder and awe as he overcomes obstacles and spies new vistas.
Perhaps the most interesting event, and one to which quite a few pages are devoted, is when his life as a New Yorker writer and an Internet "lurker" collide. His virtual presence is recognized, and he is forced to join a discussion of his own work. Seabrook experiences a postmodern nightmare as the very foundation of his topic is deconstructed and his place in it questioned.
One of the pleasures of Deeper is that it is not a detached historical chronicling of the Internet's early years. It is a story of one man's relation to the Net and the adventures he encounters trying to master it. As the book progresses you begin to root for the author, sympathizing with his troubles and sharing in his successes. He fills out the experience by including other voices: snippets of e-mail from many of his exploits and online run-ins. We meet Bill Gates, Seabrook's mother, and his wife, and a number of rather nasty detractors. All this helps to broaden the scope of the narrative and to further explain his motivation and desires.
Seabrook is a writer with a keen sense of humor. His use of metaphors and analogies helps the uninitiated follow the technology and lend a disarming humanity to a sometimes lifeless topic. Deeper is a more literary work than many technology books, but not so much as to scare off a more technical reader. In all, Deeper is a fascinating tale of the online world.
Wes Breazeale is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon.
©1997, ProMotion, inc.