Gerardo Marti
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Sociology
University of Southern California
gerardo_marti@globalimpact.org
bus address: 717 S. Brady Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90022 USA
bus fax (213) 726-1735
 
 
                       Central Message of Gibson's Idoru
 
In an online statement, Gibson tells us that "Idoru" is a word borrowed
by the Japanese from English. It means "idol" -- and with this 
understanding, the central message of his newest book is unlocked. 
 
Certainly this cyberpunk novel is set in the 21st century, featuring
many amusing explorations on the futurity of technology, city planning,
nanotechnology, social problems, family life, etc., etc. But the 
central and most interesting element of social life explored is 
the FUTURE OF WORSHIP.
 
 
In this novel, Gibson boldly portrays human beings as having a 
deep-seated propensity for loyalty to a god which overcomes them with
a sense of awe. Whether that god comes to us as a rock-star, a universe
of human nervous tissue or a holographic image (each one found in his 
book), we must and will worship. Our identities, relationships, careers,
memberships, recreation are all radically defined by our god. 
 
The end result of Gibson's exploration of the coming millennium is that, 
inevitably, future generations will come to worship media images. 
Constructed gods. Manipulated bandwidth. Whether person or software
based, manipulated media images will crystallize our longing, our 
loyalty, our love. 
 
 
What is real will be reshaped to be what is experienced. And that which
is experienced as most beautiful will be given our worship.
 
The possibilities of media-manipulation are hard to ignore. Already, 
people worship gods which do not really exist, yet are very much alive
in the imaginations of their followers (e.g. the Elvis-cult). If 
virtual reality allows us to interact with optimized experiences of 
those we most admire, it is logical to conclude that a new breed of 
gods is on the verge of appearing.