The book Snow Crash tells the story of a metaverse patrolling, sword wielding Hiro. (Sounds vaguely similar to another character on primetime TV who carries a sword, alters the universe, and is named Hiro...) The pizza delivery guy of the future is a dork in reality, and aspires to be more in the Metaverse.

I think that, as this book portrays, too many people fall into the trap of thinking that it is possible to be two different people. One person who leads a 'normal' life, and another who is completely different online, or in the Metaverse. People falsely believe that a person can have some alternative life online just because they can claim they are a 6'1 Brazilian swimsuit model, or a 12 year old girl. Just because you can change your avatar to look like a preteen Britney Spears or a built football player doesn't change you! All it does is make you a liar. People can pretend all they want, but that doesn't make them what they pretend to be.

This book blurs the line between the experiences of Hiro in reality and his experiences in the Metaverse. However, there truly is no line. A person is a person, and that doesn't change just because they log on or log off.