Thomas

--boring title, i know


Douglas Thomas’s article, “Virus Writers: Subculture and the Electronic Meaning of Style” discusses the subculture of virus writers. He briefly states that subcultures themselves are tricky and not easily defined. The subculture of internet virus writers focuses on style and that allowing them to be defined as a subculture—how they write their programs helps them to find and fit into their relevant subculture. Sharing is also very important in this subculture because they believe that if one can make something better then they should. Thus, they share the codes with other programmers and work together to form an ever-changing atmosphere and are, pretty much, working together to make programs better.

Virus writers present themselves as noise, and they cause “semiotic disorder.” Virus writers are reacting to the new age of technology where technology is becoming more and more “user friendly.” This “dumbing down” of technology opens an area for the rebellious programmer/virus writer to do what they will in order to have people be aware of their technology. These virus writers also see too much dependence on technology and the viruses present a sort of protection from this dependence on the computer. There is also the sense of causing huge disruptions in large corporations, Thomas uses a few interview quotes to follow-up the idea that the virus writer just wants to cause a ruckus for the “drones” of the large corporations—like a technological anarchy of sorts (I think).

The actual connotations that arrived with the word “virus” are interesting. One immediately thinks of illnesses and deaths when faced with the word. Thomas even describes the AIDS virus as having an effect on the word of computer viruses because suddenly the word in our lexicon had such dire consequences. Thus, the viruses became the enemy to the computer user/consumer. However, Thomas explains that most of the viruses do not harm the computer in the ways that immediately comes to mind. He also examines the use of Science Fiction in the subculture of virus writers because many of them have read the same books and are aware of some of the same themes running through them; such as government control and then the independence due to a “crash” in a particular system. Thomas also explains how the subculture of virus writers sort of blurs the lines in the are of “subculture” because their culture is always changing and they are always wanting to change it. Internet virus writers “Function as a means of subcultural signification and as a strategy for the preservation of a subcultural style in an age of increasing corporation and commodification of underground computer culture” (Thomas 265).

Overall, I liked this article. I, for one, am also fearful of the sudden explosion of viruses on my computer and then my panicked phone call to my technologically savvy cousin. But, Thomas sort of describes a virus writer that I have never really thought of before. To be honest, I sort of thought these sorts of things just materialize and never really focused on the people who write them or why they do it. I totally understand the ideology within the subculture that wants to write viruses “against the system” a sort of rage against the machine idea. I like that. However, I do worry that their skills and beliefs against technology dependence will screw up my computer, but now, at least, I realize they are doing it for a just cause….