Turing wrote, "the question and answer method seems to be suitable for introducing almost any one of the fields of human endeavour that we wish to include." By asking a question, you are instigating the need for a response from the other party. Asking questions is vital to learning about someone else on the internet because most people are not free with information, not because they don't want to reveal too much, though that does happen in some cases, but because they just aren't sure where to start. It is much easier to respond to a question than to just come out and say something about yourself. Then in the response, this gives the other party to return a question, keeping the level of revelation mutual.
This leads to what Turing said about understanding the other individual, "...the only way to know that a man thinks is to be that particular man." The only way to gain insight into what another person, to truly understand them, is to be them, but because that is impossible, we are left with getting their interpertations of feelings, emotions, thoughts and ideas to try and mimic that in our own minds to orient ourselves to their thinking.
I think Turing's view on online identity is the ease in which it can be hidden and the challenge of getting to the truth, in regards to the identity of the other party. The Turing Test is used all the time when people communicate online, trying to probe others to reveal information to prove they are who they are protraying themselves to be.
1 comment:
Shawn:
You're exactly right that the structure of the interaction determines a great deal. The question structure predetermines that there is exchange, it presumes that there may be answers or at least something to learn, and presumes that there's some sort of reciprocity between the two, and so on. Certainly this is what makes something like Eliza possible: the possibility of formalizing and recreating this relationship.
Of course, there are philosophers (e.g. Heidegger) who see our overall reaction with the universe as a questioning one - as humans, we seek out and inquire, and so on. But this may not be unique to humans, nor may it say anything particular about the universe (it does say something about how we interact with things).
Your reference to Turing believe that "the only way to know that many thinks is to be that particular man" asserts the fundamental divide between humans and leaves us something like questioning - perhaps? - as a means of knowing others.
One thing this suggests about online interaction is the important of the setting - the interface, the website (AOL, etc.), the specific communication means (command line? avatar with chat bubbles? etc.) - in creating the sense of believability and convincing us that the other is indeed another person.
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