Past and Present Metaphors of Interaction and Virtuality

Since its very early days, metaphors have been used by more and less powerful social actors to try to convey what the internet is and what it can or should be used for in the present and in the future. In the mid-1990s, when the internet went public and the World Wide Web became available, many different metaphors were in use as people tried to make sense of the possibilities of this powerful new medium, capable of instantly transmitting data and information around the world. This chapter briefly reviews the varied metaphorical past of media and digital technologies, and then explores the metaphorical connotations and richness of Piazza virtuale, the interactive television project created by Van Gogh TV, a collective of artists and engineers.