Artists working in the late 90’s were exposed to the expanse world of computer-aided communication. Other generations have seen computers placed within their lives, but not nearly to the degree as these early web pioneers who witnessed the uprising of digital communication to such a democratic degree. The primary focus I found repeated throughout the net.artists was on the social impact that this technology is having on the population. Internet artist are striking dialogue between the users and their machines in an attempt to raise questions of their communicative validity. Others were exploring the rhetorical routes they could initiate in order to allow the viewer to embark on a seemingly one of a kind virtual experience. By one of a kind, I refer to the route that many net.artists lead the viewer through. There is a start to the site, but the exploration is up to the viewer/user and their individual direction.
A common theme found amongst internet artist is the participation aspect many involve with their work. Having said this it is hard to imagine a piece of net.art that is not participatory given the typing of the url. or even to click on a hypertext is an act of participation engaging the viewer intimately into the piece. Artist who focus on feedback from the viewer are extremely entertaining with their work due to the mirrored voyeuristic quality. That is one thing about the net, people love to look at other people’s lives and not really have any association with them. This makes the net a detached community collective that allows the user to keep up with the society without even being a part of it.
Confusion is also a common theme throughout some of the internet artists. I believe this is a purposeful tactic chosen in order to further involve the user into the enigmatic quality exhibited by the internet. The journey through ones site is as much as the experience as the content within it. There is a sort of reward experienced when navigating through a confusing site and finally reaching the text that you think is the reason for the site but then your not sure because there is an image that is over in the corner that leads you into a completely experience. The exploration of self and society are prominent within the work of many of the early net.artists.
The introduction to net art outline exemplifies the ubiquitous nature of the art. Anyone who has any knowledge of computers should strictly follow those simple guidelines to transform their thoughts or visions into a global work of art. I enjoy the idea that they bring Realization over Theorization. This is a real time experience, animated in front of your eyes, giving the viewer the feeling of exclusive entertainment. This forces you to make an immediate realization as to what you are seeing. The immediacy must be a factor of the intimate connection you have when using a computer. The artist is coming into your living room so that he/she can share their vision with you.
