lain.and.snow.crash >> Avatars

In Lain, it is possible to translate one’s body into the Wired. The same is true of the "Metaverse" in Snow Crash. Snow Crash’s Metaverse is essential a set of protocols. The same can be said for the Wired, as users look forward to the new "Protocol 7," which will change the way in which the Wired is used because it will link the Wired and the "real world" together. In both of these representations of "cyber space," the user can digitally place himself in that environment. In Snow Crash, these are called "avatars." Lain does not really specify how people like Lain are able to appear in the Wired as an avatar-like being. However, it is assumed that Lain is able to do so in part by obtaining advanced upgrades to her Navi. This is also true of Snow Crash. Depending on one’s technological knowledge, specifically coding, one can use a detailed avatar in the Metaverse. Some avatars can be store-bought, while other low-end avatars are simple black-and-white beings. In both situations, the user can create his own persona with the use of avatars. The representation of avatar-like beings in Lain’s Wired could perhaps be a way of showing what the Internet holds in the near future.