Page numbers in italics indicate illustrations.
Abu-Lughod, Lila, 99–100
Adventure travel: first contact narratives, 162–63; in New Guinea, 160–62, 171–73
Affiliation, online and onground, 27–28
Age cohort, Cyborganic as, 16
AI. See Artificial intelligence
Amazon Amerindians/Amazonians: cyberconnectivity, 150–55; modern technology and, 148–50
Amazonia, caboclos in, 181, 185–88, 190–91, 196(n1)
Analytical metaphors, cyborgs as, 53
Anício da Silva, Brasilino, 186–87, 187; collaboration with, 188–89, 190–91; on tourists, 193, 194, 197(n7)
Animality, 223–24
Anonymity, 90; group and identity in, 100–101; as moral value, 94–95
Anonymous, 6, 89, 102, 125; identity in, 94–95, 98, 99; participation in, 90–91; raids and pranks by, 96–97; viruses and hacking by, 91–92
Anstice, Mark, 158, 171, 175(nn6, 7); First Contact, 160; Mek and, 164–67
Anthropology, 2, 28(n6), 218, 227, 231, 232; collaboration in, 188–91, 194–95; culture concept in, 99–100; expertise of, 170–74; and informants, 179–80; multiple modernities, 217, 219–22; participation in, 195–96; TV reality shows and, 157–59; as tourism, 193–94
Apache open-source software project, 11
Appadurai, Arjun, 233; Modernity at Large, 221
Arab Spring, 90
Arembepe, 188
Artificial intelligence (AI), 5, 9, 53; Chinese Room experiment and, 51–52; conversational, 54, 65–66
Artisans, in Brazil, 177–78
Assange, Julian, 6
Autism treatments, avatars used in, 62–65
Avatar (film), 131
Avatars, 131–32, 133; in autism treatments, 62–65; gender of, 135–37; Second Life, 114–15; South Asian, 118, 122–26
Az_Tiffany, 54; conversation with, 55–58
/b/: identities on, 92–94; viruses and hacking on, 91–92
Back-channels, 18
Barcelos, fieldwork near, 185–88
BasementDad, 96
Bay Area countercultures, 15, 16–17
Belle epoch (Brazil), 207
Bijlmer, H.J.T., 162
Biopower, 9
Blogs, 11; family use of, 71–72
Body, and cyberculture, 35–36
Bollywoodization: of digital diasporas, 120–26; of mass media, 117, 118
Bots, 2, 68(n14). See also Chatbots; Sexbots
Boundaries, human-machine, 50–52, 68(n17)
Boyer, Dominic, on expertise, 170–71
Brainstorms (Rheingold), 11
Brand, Stewart, 16
Brazil, 200; caboclos in, 8, 185–87, 196(n1); fieldwork in, 178–79, 189–91; hippy culture in, 177–78, 182–83, 187–88, 196–97(nn3, 4, 5); marginalized populations in, 179–81, 191–94
Brilliant, Larry, 16
Brumann, Christoph, 99
Burning Man Tribe.net forum, death notices, 79–81
Caboclos, 8, 179, 181–82, 192, 196(n1), 197(n7); fieldwork on, 185–87, 188–91
Cadet detector, 20
Call centers, in India, 108–9
Call-center workers: in digital diaspora, 119–20; space-time orientation of, 118–19
Cannibal Tours, 158; anthropological response to, 171–73
Casey, Edward, 74; Remembering: A Phenomenological Study, 73
Cata-bagulho, 207
Cataclysm, 140
Celebrity, 6; Anonymous prank and raids on, 96–97, 102(n5)
Centro (São Paulo), 200, 213(nn4, 10), 214(n13); anti-nóias campaign in, 209–10, 213–14(n12); history of, 201–4; institutionalized violence in, 208–9; Nova Luz project, 206–7; space use in, 204–5; urban renewal in, 207–8
Chanology, 95
Chatbots, 54; scripts of, 55–57. See also Sexbots
Chatrooms, 5, 54; human-bot interactions, 57–62; space bar, 19–24; Yahoo!, 66, 67–68(n11)
Children, anthropological fieldwork and, 189–90
Chinese Room though experiment, 51–52, 53
Church of Scientology, Anonymous protests against, 90, 95
CI. See Conservation International
Cicada Films/Productions, 158, 168; “first contact” adventures, 163–64
CNET.com, 11
Codi_1984, 55–56
Collaboration, in anthropological fieldwork, 188–91, 194–96
Collective actions, of Anonymous, 90–91
Collins, Jane, Reading National Geographic, 159
Colonialism: first contact accounts as, 160–62; in TV reality shows, 158–59, 162–67
Communication skills, Virtual Peers program, 64, 65, 69(n24)
Community, communities, 18, 36; mass media and, 117–18; mediated networks, 106–7; on Tribe.net, 78–81
Companion species, cyborgs as, 61–62, 68(n18)
Computers, Waiwai use of, 150–55
Conklin, Beth, 149–50
Conservation International (CI), 150
Conversation, 93; AI creation of, 54–55; chatbot, 55–58
Countercultures, Bay Area, 15, 16–17
Coupling, bot-human, 60–61
Crime e Cotidiano: A Criminalidade em São Paulo 1870–1924 (Fausto), 202
Criminality, in São Paulo, 208–9
Cultural critiques, Anonymous actions as, 96–98
Cultural genocide, 109
Culture, 98; beyond, 99–100; and nature, 222–23
Culture change, Mek and, 164–65
Culture concept, end of, 99
Cyberasociality, 43–44
Cyberculture, body and, 35–36
Cyberspace, Waiwai use of, 150–55
Cyborganic, 4–5, 11, 12, 18, 20; onground structure of, 13–14; online structure of, 14–15, 15; social affiliations in, 27–28; and WELL, 16–17
Cyborganic Gardens, 14
Cyborg anthropology, 28(n6), 50, 52–53
“Cyborg Anthropology” (Downey, Dumit, and Williams), 53
“Cyborg Manifesto, The” (Haraway), 60–61
Cyborgs, 52, 53, 67(nn6, 7, 8), 233; as companion species, 61–62; human interactions with, 60–61
Cyborg systems, 52, 53; in Virtual Peers project, 62–65
Dal, 177, 178, 179, 182, 184, 195, 196–97(nn4, 6); as ethnographer, 183, 185–86, 188, 189–91; on hippy philosophy, 192–93; life of, 191–92
Dance clubs, in Second Life, 122–23
Death, the dead, 37; message board notices, 78–81; online profiles and, 75–78, 81–85
Death networking, on MyDeathSpace.com, 75–78
Death notices, on Tribe.net, 78–81
Derrida, Jacques, 85
Diaries, online, 11. See also Blogs
Diasporas, 7, 109; communicated spaces of, 107–8; digital, 110–12, 119–26; nostalgia and, 115–20; South Asian, 105, 106, 233
Digital environments, South Asian–centric, 117–18
Digital Ethnography Research Team, and Anonymous, 91–92
Digital media, in public campaigns, 210–11
Disabilities, and virtual world gaming, 142
Discovery Channel, films on New Guinea, 167–68
Disembodied meaning, 34
Downey, Gary Lee, “Cyborg Anthropology,” 53
Drug addicts, in São Paulo, 8, 209–10, 213–14(n12)
Drug trade: Brazilian hippies and, 187–88; Centro (São Paulo), 205, 206, 213(n10)
Dumit, Joseph, “Cyborg Anthropology,” 53
e-celebrity, Anonymous prank and raids on, 96–97, 102(n5)
Ecstatic experience, 4
Edwards, John, Second Life campaign, 97
Enactment, and representation, 112–13
Encounter value, 61–62
Ethnography, 1–2, 148, 218–19, 227, 231; of Anonymous, 91–92; of caboclo community, 188–91; collaborative, 195–96; hippy, 180, 183; pop, 8, 170–74; vagabond, 8, 179; of virtual worlds, 143–44
Experts, expertise, anthropologists and, 170–74
Facebook, 5, 23, 28(n1), 38, 39, 45, 72, 86(n12), 118, 141; deceased’s profiles, 81–84; offline/online integration, 41–42; social interactions on, 40–41; Waiwai participation in, 151–52
Families, use of social media, 72
Fantasy: of first contact, 162–63; vs. real life, 139–40
Farmville, South Asian identity and, 118
Favelas, in São Paulo, 202, 203
Female bodies, on Facebook, 40
Film industry, Indian, 116, 121
Finder’s fees, for websites, 54
First contact: accounts of, 160–61, 174(n4); fantasies of, 162–63; as reality TV adventure, 163–64
First Contact: A 21st Century Discovery of Cannibals (Anstice), 160
Foucault, Michel, Le Mots et les Choses, 4 4chan: Anonymous on, 90–91; identity on, 92–94; viruses on, 91–92
Freud, Sigmund, 51
Friendships, virtual, 138
Gajdusek, Carleton, 163
Geek culture, 49–50
Gender, in cyberspace, 68(n14), 121, 135–37, 151
Gender play/switching, in virtual worlds, 136–37
Ginsburg, Faye, 149
Globalization, 8, 112, 120, 126; economic and cultural, 109–10; marginalized people in, 180–81; Papua New Guinea, 163, 164; of “primitive” people, 221–22
Global/local binary, 120
Global workers, 109
Groups: Anonymous as, 98, 102(n4); online, 72–73, 82–83
Hacktivism, Anonymous, 90, 92, 97
Hall, Justin, Links from the Underground, 11
Haraway, Donna, 52–53, 68(n18);“The Cyborg Manifesto,” 60–61; on cyborgs, 67(nn6, 7, 8), 233; on encounter value, 61–62
Hayles, Katherine, 35; How We Became Posthuman, 25–27
Hippies, 180; in Brazil, 177–78, 182–83, 187–88, 191–92, 196–97(nn3, 4, 5); philosophy of, 192–93. See also Caboclos
Home, James, space bar, 23
Homeland, nostalgic narratives of, 116–17
Homeless residents, of Centro (São Paulo), 200, 201, 203–4, 208, 210–11, 213–14(nn11,12, 13)
Hotwired (online magazine), 11
How We Became Posthuman (Hayles), 25–27
Human(s), 4, 9, 35, 66; animalizing, 223–24; boundaries with machine, 50–52, 68(n17); in chatrooms, 58–60; non-human relationships, 222–23, 225–26; Waiwai concepts of, 153–54
Humanism, Western colonial, 159–60, 162–67
Humanity, and technology, 33–34
Human rights, 224
Human subjectivity, 25
ICTs. See Information and Communication Technologies, 109–10
Identity, identities, 7, 38, 128; Amazonian online, 150–55; Anonymous and, 89, 92–94, 99, 100–101, 102(n5); Bollywoodization of, 121–22; call-center, 108–9; experimentation with, 6, 36, 41; formation of, 39–40; Indian cultural and class, 106, 107–8, 118–19; IRL, 23–24; online, 126–28; mass media and, 117–18; modern self and, 97–98; posthuman, 113–14; in Second Life, 114–15, 123–26, 136–37; social roles and, 36–37; space-bar, 23–24; in virtual platforms, 5–6, 134–37
IMF. See International Monetary Fund
Immigration, to São Paulo, 202
Immigration Act (1965), 107
Imperialism, visual, 167–69
India, 114, 121; cultural identity, 107–8; diasporas, 7, 105, 106; digital diasporas in, 110–12, 119–20; Second Life in, 123–26. See also Non-resident Indian populations
Indiannness, 117, 123; nostalgia and, 115–20; in online settings, 114, 118
Indians, digital identities, 123–26
Informants, anthropological use of, 179–80
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), as tradable commodities, 109–10
Intelligence, human, 51. See also Artificial intelligence
International Monetary Fund (IMF), 107
International relay chat (IRC), 54
Internet, 7, 23, 37, 38, 72, 153; Amazonian use of, 149–50; body and, 35–36; profiles on, 40–41; Waiwai use of, 147–48, 154–55
Intuition, as human trait, 51
Invention of Culture, The (Wagner), 99
iPhone, South Asian identity and, 118
IRC. See International relay chat
Jakobson, Roman, 21
Job hunting, in Second Life, 123–26
Kansas State University, Digital Ethnography Research Team, 91–92
Kassab, Gilberto, 209
Kayapo, 149
Knowledge, anthropologists’ use of, 170–72, 179–80
Kock, A. C. de, accounts of Mek, 161–62, 169
Korowai, 160–61
Kottak, Conrad, 188
Labor force, in India, 106, 107
Lago Grande, fieldwork in, 186, 188–91, 192, 193, 195
Language skills, in autism treatment, 64
Léia, 177, 178, 179, 182, 184, 195, 197(n6); as ethnographer, 183, 185–86, 188, 189–91
Links from the Underground (Hall), 11
Living with the Mek: The Adventures of Mark and Olly, 157–58, 171, 172; culture change and, 164–65; “first contact,” 160–61, 162; Western humanism and, 165–67
Local area network (LAN). See Ramona LAN
Log-ins, space bar, 23–24
Lolcats, 91
Lutkehaus, Nancy Christine, on Cannibal Tours, 172
Lutz, Catherine, Reading National Geographic, 159
Luz District (São Paulo), 205–6; cleanup of, 209–10
MacCannell, Dean, on Cannibal Tours, 172–73
Machines, 49–50; boundaries with humans, 50–52, 68(n17)
Magazines, online, 11
Malucos. See Hippies
Marginalization, 8; in Brazilian communities, 191–94, 200, 201, 208–10; of Brazilian hippies, 187–88; of caboclos, 181–82; in globalized world, 180–81; mass media and, 210–11, 212(n2)
Martino, Paul, on Tribe.net, 79
Massively multiplayer online (MMO), 133
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), 133
Media, 212(n2); Amazonian use of, 149–50; Bollywood and, 120–21; digitally produced, 105, 106; first contact accounts, 160–61; primitivist, 159, 163–67, 170–71; and anti-nóias campaign, 209–11; South Asian identity, 117–18; as visual imperialism, 167–69
Mediation, of sociality, 42–44
Mek, 174(n2); culture change and, 164–65; first contact accounts, 160, 161–62; TV reality show, 7–8, 157–58, 169, 175(n6)
Memorials, 74; blogs as, 72–73; on Facebook, 82–83, 86(n12); on message boards, 78–81; MyDeathSpace.com, 75–78
Memory, 73–74
Message boards: anonymity on, 94–95; as memorials, 78–81
Meyrowitz, Joshua, 74
Migrations, South Asian, 107, 120
MMO. See Massively multiplayer online
MMORPG. See Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Modernity, 9, 178, 188; and anthropology, 219–21; global nature of, 221–22; self in, 97–98
Modernization, and South Asian migrations, 107
Moral value, anonymity as, 94–95
Mots et les Choses, Le (Foucault), 4
MUDs. See Multi-user dungeon
Multi-culturalism, 224–25, 227(n2)
Multi-naturalism, 225
Multi-user dungeon (MUD), 54
MyDeathSpace, 76–77
MySpace Profiles, of deceased, 75–78
National Geographic Channel, Worlds Apart, 159–60
Nature, and culture, 222–23, 226
Networks, mediated, 106–7
New Bollywood, 121
New Guinea: adventure tourism in, 171–73, 175(n7); reality TV shows, 163–69; travel narratives of, 160–62
New Yorker, first contact narratives, 162–63
Nóias, 8; campaign against, 209–11, 213–14(n12)
Non-humans, and human relationships, 222–23, 225–26
Non-resident Indian population (NRI), 105–6
Northwestern University, Virtual Peers project, 5, 62–65
Nostalgia, 107; Indian identity in, 115–20
Nova Cracolandia, 210
Nova Luz project, 206–7
Novo Estado (New State), 203, 207, 213(n7)
NRI. See Non-resident Indian population
Obituaries, on MySpace Profiles, 75–76
Old Republic (Brazil), 203, 213(n7) 100 Most Influential People competition, 97
Onground, 12
Online, 12, 37, 101; social interactions, 40–41
Online communities. See also Anonymous; Cyborganic; Second Life; World of Warcraft
Online life, 7
Online networks, 111, 114; death notices and memorials on, 75–86
Online technologies, diasporas in, 110–12
Operation Cleansing, in São Paulo, 204
Oral tradition, 192
O’Rourke, Dennis, Cannibal Tours, 171–72, 173
Osborne, Lawrence, 163
Palin, Sarah, hacking of, 92
Papuans, 175(nn6, 7); reality TV shows, 163–68; travel narratives of, 160–62; Western concepts of, 168–69
Participant observation, 7, 11, 158
Personas: construction of, 39–40; online, 37, 38, 39
Personhood, 151; in virtual worlds, 134–37
Phatic communion, 20; space bar, 21–23
Place, 23, 74; web publishing and, 17–18. See also Colocation
Plato, on the word, 34
Poole, Christopher, and Anonymous, 90
Portholes, Cyborganic, 20
Posthuman, 2, 3, 5, 24, 223–24; emergence of, 6, 25–27, 35, 231–32; identity, 113–14; use of, 132–33; and virtual worlds, 142–44
Posts, posters, on 4chan/b/, 93–94
Praça de República (Centro, São Paulo), 205; Nova Luz project and, 206–7
Pranks, Anonymous, 96
Presence casting, 23
“Primitive” peoples, globalization and, 221–22
Professional networking, 45
Profiles, 39, 96; of deceased, 75–78, 81–84; on Facebook, 40–41, 42
Prostitution, Centro (São Paulo), 203–4, 205
Public space, use of, 204–5
Radio-frequency identification (RFID), 62
Raids, Anonymous, 96, 97, 102(n4)
Ramona LAN (local area network), 13–14
Rave scene, 13
Reading National Geographic (Lutz and Collins), 159
Real life, and virtual worlds, 139–41
Reality shows, 157–58, 159, 171, 174(n5); first contact, 163–64; Mek, 7–8, 163–67; visual imperialism, 167–69
Realities, 212; public media campaigns and, 210–11; urban planning and, 207–8; virtual vs. lived, 199–200
Relationships, in virtual worlds, 137–41
Remembering: A Phenomenological Study (Casey), 73
Remembrance, 73–74; nostalgia and, 116–20; online networks, 75–85
Representation, and enactment, 112–13
Revenues, video gaming, 133, 134
RFID. See Radio-frequency identification
Rheingold, Howard, Brainstorms, 11
Ribeirinhos. See Caboclos
Role playing, time commitment to, 140–41
Rutherford, Danilyn, 162
Sam, as autism avatar, 62–65, 68(n23)
San Francisco: Cyborganic in, 11, 13–15; as new Silicon Valley, 15–16
São Paulo, 8, 200, 213–14(nn3-5, 10–13); criminality in, 208–9; Nova Luz project, 206–7; space use in, 204–5; urban renewal in, 207–8. See also Centro
Scareware, 92
Scripts, chatbot, 55–57
Searle, John, 51
Second Life, 7, 97, 132, 133, 134, 142; avatars in, 114–15; identity in, 135, 136–37; Indian avatars in, 123–26, 233; relationships in, 137–39; South Asian avatars in, 118, 122–23; time commitment in, 140–41
Seixas, Raul, 191
Self-publishing, 11
Sexbots, 68(nn13, 15); assembling, 54–55; conversation, 55–58; human interactions with, 58–60, 61–62
Sex trade, Centro (São Paulo), 203–4, 205
Sexual exploration, in Second Life, 136–37
SFRaves, 13
Shock language, Anonymous use of, 92–93
Shrines, online, 72–74
Sims 2, 118
Skype, 141
Social interactions, 132; online, 40–41
Sociality, 6, 102; computer-mediated, 12–13; configurable, 19–24; mediated, 42–55; online, 38, 101
Social location, 18
Social networks, 23, 74, 117; mediated, 106–7; MySpace Profiles, 75–78; and personas, 39–40; and social practice, 38–39; status and identification of, 126–28; South Asian/Indian, 120–21; uses of, 71–73
Social practices, and social networks, 38–39
Social roles, identity experimentation and, 36–37
Soja, Edward, computer-mediated sociality, 12–13
SOMA (South of Market) district: Cyborganic in, 13–15; as new Silicon Valley, 15–16
South Asia: cultural identities, 118–19; diasporas, 7, 105, 233; digital diasporas in, 110–12, 119–20; group identity, 107–8; media-portrayed commonalities, 117–18; in Second Life, 122–23
Space, 18; Centro (São Paulo), 204–5
Space and time orientation, Indian call-center workers, 118–19
Space bar: configurable sociality of, 19–21; log-in ids, 23–24; phatic communion and, 21–23
Space-time being, 12
Startups, 101
Stasch, Rupert, 160–61
Status, online identification of, 126–28
Steeds, Olly, 158; on Mek, 165, 166–67
Storytelling, in autism treatment, 64
Subjectivities, 9, 200–201; digital, 211–12
Suler, John, 90
Symbolic beings, humans as, 35
Symbols, symbolic, 34: creation of, 3–4; externalization and reification of, 35–37
Technology, 9; digital and wireless, 111–12; loss of humanity and, 33–34; use of modern, 148–50; Waiwai use of, 152–53
Teleology of disembodiment, 26, 28
Television: documentary and reality programs, 157–58, 159–74; first contact and culture change narratives, 163–67; South Asian cultural identity and, 117–18; visual imperialism, 167–69
Terman, Fredrick, 15
Thursday Night Dinner (TND), 13–14
Time, 100 Most Influential People competition, 97
Time commitments, in virtual worlds, 139–41
TND. See Thursday Night Dinner
Tourism, 179; adventure, 160, 163, 171–73, 175(n7); marginalized communities and, 191, 193–94, 197(n7)
Transhuman, 25
Transnationalism, and online technologies, 111–12
Travel accounts: first contact, 162–63; New Guinea, 160–62
Travel Channel, Living with the Mek, 157–59, 164–67
Tribe.net, 78, 86(n9); death notices on, 72, 79–81
Trolling, by 4chan/b/, 93–94
Turner, Terence, 149
United States, 107
Universities, 23
Urban poor, in São Paulo, 202, 203–4, 206–7, 209–11, 214(n13)
Urban renewal/reform, 213(n9); Centro (São Paulo), 203, 206–8, 209–10, 213–14(n12)
Violence, institutionalized, 208–9
Virginia Tech, memorial page, 82
Virtual objects, 118, 129(n5), 133
Virtual Peers project, 5; avatars used in, 62–65
Virtual platforms, 5–6
Virtual worlds, 2, 3, 5, 37, 118, 131–32; personhood and identity in, 134–37; popularity of, 133–34; posthumans and, 142–44; relationships in, 137–41
Viruses, Anonymous-produced, 91–92
Viveiros de Castro, Eduardo, 220
Wagner, Roy, The Invention of Culture, 99
Waiwai, and cyberspace, 147–48, 150–55
Webpages, Cyborganic, 20
Web publishing, 16; place and, 17–18
Websites, 54, 68(n15), 90; chatbot scripts, 56–57
What Is Posthumanism? (Wolfe), 223–24
Whole Earth Catalog, The, 16
Whole Earth ’Lectronic Link (WELL), 16–17
Wikileaks, 6
Wikis, for family use, 72
Williams, Sarah, “Cyborg Anthropology,” 53
Windows Antivirus 2009, 91–92
Wired (magazine), 11
Wizard of Oz (Woz) interface, 63, 68(n22)
Wolfe, Cary, What Is Posthumanism?, 223–24
Woods, John, 82
Word, as separate from creator, 34
World of Warcraft, 7, 132, 133, 134, 142; personhood in, 135–36; relationships in, 137–39, 141; time commitment to, 139–40
Worlds Apart, 159–60
WoW. See World of Warcraft
Writing, and loss of humanity, 33–34
Yahoo!, chatrooms, 66, 67–68(n11)
YouTube, 90, 97; São Paulo addicts on, 209, 210
Zengotita, Thomas de, 98
Zombies, 8
Zonday, Tay, 97
Zynga, 118