--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a way now, approximately, of being…" description: "\"“It is a way now, approximately, of being at home. The forum has become one of the most consistent places of her life, like a familiar cafe that exists..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/william-gibson-642_chat_it-is-a-way-now-approximately-of-being-a_611612.png" --- # It is a way now, approximately, of being at home. The… ![“It is a way now, approximately, of being at home. The forum has become one of the most consistent places of her life, like a familiar cafe that exists someone outside geography and beyond time zones. There are perhaps twenty regular posters on F:F:F:, and some muchlarger and uncounted number of…” quote by William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/william-gibson-642_chat_it-is-a-way-now-approximately-of-being-a_611612.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/william-gibson-642_chat_it-is-a-way-now-approximately-of-being-a_611612.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/william-gibson-642_chat_it-is-a-way-now-approximately-of-being-a_611612.png) > ““It is a way now, approximately, of being at home. The forum has become one of the most consistent places of her life, like a familiar cafe that exists someone outside geography and beyond time zones. There are perhaps twenty regular posters on F:F:F:, and some muchlarger and uncounted number of lurkers. And right now there are three people in Chat. But there's no way of knowing exactly who until you are in there, and the chat room she finds not so comforting. It's strange even with friends, like sitting in a pitch-dark cellar conversing with people at a distance of about fifteen feet. the hectic speed, and the brevity of the lines in the thread, plus the feeling that everyone is talking at once, at counmter-purposes, deter her.”” [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The online community feels like a familiar, timeless home, yet its anonymity and rapid, overlapping conversation can feel unsettling and impersonal. **In simple terms:** Online spaces can feel both comforting and alienating. Key Takeaway Seek real connections within digital communities. Themes digital community anonymity communication comfort discomfort Mood reflective melancholic thoughtful Type observational analytical When to use this quote - joining forums - participating in chat - building trust - balancing online/offline life Key Concepts social media dynamics virtual presence psychology of online interaction Questions to Reflect On - How can you create deeper bonds in fast‑moving online groups? - What practices help you feel more present in virtual chats? A Different Perspective The sense of alienation may persist despite frequent participation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chat room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chat-room/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Forum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forum/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes people chat loosely. Sometimes people just speak their minds and what's on their mind ain't necessarily real or facts, so I don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dizzee-rascal/sometimes-people-chat-loosely-sometimes-people-just-speak-their-minds/) [Dizzee Rascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dizzee-rascal/) > [There are a few 'Raw Shark Texts' tattoos floating around the Internet now, so I'm gathering them up to post on my forum. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-hall/there-are-a-few-raw-shark-texts-tattoos-floating-around-the-internet/) [Steven Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-hall/) > [What I wanted was for everyone listening to understand that these things mattered - not necessarily for me, but in this particular forum they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-hill/what-i-wanted-was-for-everyone-listening-to-understand-that-these/) [Anita Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-hill/) > [I think that Comic-Con is just a wonderful forum. It's just the perfect place for our show and the fans have embraced us so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/i-think-that-comic-con-is-just-a-wonderful-forum-it-s-just-the/) [Laurie Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-holden/) > [For my type of story and my kind of writing, I think 'Vanity Fair' is the right forum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominick-dunne/for-my-type-of-story-and-my-kind-of-writing-i-think-vanity-fair-is/) [Dominick Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominick-dunne/) > [That's what I love about the Internet. Even if it's small-scale and you're just posting on a forum, that's an uncensored expression. That's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicia-day/that-s-what-i-love-about-the-internet-even-if-it-s-small-scale-and/) [Felicia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicia-day/) > [The lanes and streets of the city being set out, the choice of sites for the convenience and use of the state remains to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-lanes-and-streets-of-the-city-being-set-out-the-choice-of-sites/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is a responsibility that goes with winning the Nobel Prize, and the responsibility is that if you have a forum, you should use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-heckman/there-is-a-responsibility-that-goes-with-winning-the-nobel-prize-and/) [James Heckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-heckman/) > [Politics is - once in a while - a forum for serious debate about political philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/politics-is-once-in-a-while-a-forum-for-serious-debate-about/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The United Nations is the preeminent institution of multilateralism. It provides a forum where sovereign states can come together to share burdens, address common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-united-nations-is-the-preeminent-institution-of-multilateralism/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [Twitter gives you a forum to let loose a little bit and have fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/twitter-gives-you-a-forum-to-let-loose-a-little-bit-and-have-fun/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [I even had a Shahid Khan fan club on the 'Deal Or No Deal' forum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naughty-boy/i-even-had-a-shahid-khan-fan-club-on-the-deal-or-no-deal-forum/) [Naughty Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naughty-boy/) > [WTO is not the forum for labour standards. Next, the U.S. will argue the time zone difference is an unfair competitive advantage enjoyed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jairam-ramesh/wto-is-not-the-forum-for-labour-standards-next-the-u-s-will-argue-the/) [Jairam Ramesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jairam-ramesh/) > [We have taken God out of our education system. We have taken Him out of government. You have lawyers that sue you every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/we-have-taken-god-out-of-our-education-system-we-have-taken-him-out/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) > [Moveon is not a one-way broadcast media. The Internet, when used best, is a two-way media. We have a forum in which people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-blades/moveon-is-not-a-one-way-broadcast-media-the-internet-when-used-best/) [Joan Blades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-blades/) ## More by William Gibson > [“We have no idea, now, of who or what the inhabitants of our future might be. In that sense, we have no future. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/we-have-no-idea-now-of-who-or-what-the-inhabitants-of-our-future/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“No," said Blackwell, "she won't, because that would be a violation of the very personal terms I will have established in our conversation. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/no-said-blackwell-she-won-t-because-that-would-be-a-violation-of-the/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“Music was strange that way though; there were people into any damned thing, it seemed like, and if you got enough of them together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/music-was-strange-that-way-though-there-were-people-into-any-damned/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [When I start writing a new imaginary future, I have no idea what it is. The characters arrive first. They help me figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-i-start-writing-a-new-imaginary-future-i-have-no-idea-what-it-is/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [Hollis thought he looked like William Burroughs, minus the bohemian substrate (or perhaps the methadone). Like someone who'd be invited quail shooting with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/hollis-thought-he-looked-like-william-burroughs-minus-the-bohemian/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [Fiction is an illusion wrought with many small, conventionally symbolic marks, triggering visions in the minds of others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/fiction-is-an-illusion-wrought-with-many-small-conventionally/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [The experience of celebrity is gradually being democratized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/the-experience-of-celebrity-is-gradually-being-democratized/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [I don't generate a storyline and then fill it out in the course of writing. The story actually generates in the course of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-don-t-generate-a-storyline-and-then-fill-it-out-in-the-course-of/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“What happened to your arm?" she asked me one night in the Gentleman Loser, the three of us drinking at a small table in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/what-happened-to-your-arm-she-asked-me-one-night-in-the-gentleman/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“In Heathrow a vast chunk of memory detached itself from a blank bowl of airport sky and fell on him. He vomited into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/in-heathrow-a-vast-chunk-of-memory-detached-itself-from-a-blank-bowl/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [And, for an instant, she stared directly into those soft blue eyes and knew, with an instinctive mammalian certainty, that the exceedingly rich were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/and-for-an-instant-she-stared-directly-into-those-soft-blue-eyes-and/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [ \[When\] Johnny Mnemonic was coming out and I realized that all the kids that worked in 7-11 knew more - or thought they knew… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-johnny-mnemonic-was-coming-out-and-i-realized-that-all-the-kids/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“Andrea maintained that men like Alain lied so constantly, so passionately, that some basic distinction had been lost. They were artists in their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/andrea-maintained-that-men-like-alain-lied-so-constantly-so/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“Because he had a good agent, he had a good contract. Because he had a good contract, he was in Singapore an hour after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/because-he-had-a-good-agent-he-had-a-good-contract-because-he-had-a/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) [Explore all 430 William Gibson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) ## More Chat quotes > [People bemoan the loss of watercooler chat, but I think that there's more of that than ever. It's just that it's online.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brooker/people-bemoan-the-loss-of-watercooler-chat-but-i-think-that-there-s/) [Charlie Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brooker/) > [IDGAF..Go Ugly Up Someone Elses Chat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-fletcher/idgaf-go-ugly-up-someone-elses-chat/) Doris Fletcher > [It's amazing when I do a gig how many people of different ages come up to me afterwards and chat to me about songs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-henderson/it-s-amazing-when-i-do-a-gig-how-many-people-of-different-ages-come/) [Ella Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-henderson/) > [Chat to me back, chat to me back. Dem pop down buh we still hot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-saw/chat-to-me-back-chat-to-me-back-dem-pop-down-buh-we-still-hot/) [Lady Saw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-saw/) > [People want chat histories. They're a permanent testimony of a relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-acton/people-want-chat-histories-they-re-a-permanent-testimony-of-a/) [Brian Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-acton/) > [“I love a friendly chat and a friendly glass of wine during the evening - the time they call, for some accountable reason, 'between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pushkin/i-love-a-friendly-chat-and-a-friendly-glass-of-wine-during-the/) [Alexander Pushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pushkin/) > [Yeah and that's the thing, you can have a 100 different chat shows, they can all look the same and do the same thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-drake/yeah-and-that-s-the-thing-you-can-have-a-100-different-chat-shows/) [Eli Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-drake/) > [Too much agreement kills the chat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay-chapman/too-much-agreement-kills-the-chat/) [John Jay Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay-chapman/) > [“the more they chat and gossip—the more they get done”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/the-more-they-chat-and-gossip-the-more-they-get-done/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [Sure, for a one-to-one chat about life, the universe and everything, give me a woman. But when it comes to a group gathering, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/sure-for-a-one-to-one-chat-about-life-the-universe-and-everything/) [Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/) > [I like to chat either at my site or, sometimes, through MSN and ICQ. And even if I do reveal my identity, there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-shroff/i-like-to-chat-either-at-my-site-or-sometimes-through-msn-and-icq-and/) [Jackie Shroff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-shroff/) > [This is CARIS SOURN she is amazing!!! PICTURE CHAT ME!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivan/this-is-caris-sourn-she-is-amazing-picture-chat-me/) [VIVAN](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivan/) > [Young adults living with a stutter is hard work. How do they handle job interviews? What do they do when the phone rings? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-gates/young-adults-living-with-a-stutter-is-hard-work-how-do-they-handle/) [Gareth Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-gates/) > [I talk random crap to people when I'm blocked from live chat,So does patience! SO ITS YOUR FAULT,ADMIN LIKE THREE DAYS LEFT D:](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazzy/i-talk-random-crap-to-people-when-i-m-blocked-from-live-chat-so-does/) [Jazzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazzy/) > [Then my own TV chat show in England in 1989.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/then-my-own-tv-chat-show-in-england-in-1989/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) Browse all 161 Chat quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is a way now, approximately, of being at home. The forum has become one of the most consistent places of her life, like a familiar cafe that exists someone outside geography and beyond time zones. There are perhaps twenty regular posters on F:F:F:, and some muchlarger and uncounted number of lurkers. And right now there are three people in Chat. But there's no way of knowing exactly who until you are in there, and the chat room she finds not so comforting. It's strange even with friends, like sitting in a pitch-dark cellar conversing with people at a distance of about fifteen feet. the hectic speed, and the brevity of the lines in the thread, plus the feeling that everyone is talking at once, at counmter-purposes, deter her.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Gibson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/it-is-a-way-now-approximately-of-being-at-home-the-forum-has-become/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chat" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/it-is-a-way-now-approximately-of-being-at-home-the-forum-has-become/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/william-gibson-642_chat_it-is-a-way-now-approximately-of-being-a_611612.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/william-gibson-642_chat_it-is-a-way-now-approximately-of-being-a_611612.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/william-gibson-642_chat_it-is-a-way-now-approximately-of-being-a_611612.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is a way now, approximately, of being at home. The forum has become one of the most consistent places of…” — William Gibson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "William Gibson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is a way now, approximately,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/it-is-a-way-now-approximately-of-being-at-home-the-forum-has-become/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/it-is-a-way-now-approximately-of-being-at-home-the-forum-has-become/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```