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256 Sunny Yoon

that their use of computer and the Internet was not sufficiently sup-
ported at their homes and schools. “K” claimed that the older gener-
ation did not understand the “computer generation”—including
him—due to their lack of experience with the new technology. “H”
said that his parents complained about his “obsession” with com-
puter games whenever he used computers. But according to “H,”
since most contemporary computer program menus consist of graph-
ics, his parents believed that he was playing computer games all the
time. These students laugh at the ignorance of the older generation,
while also confirming their superior authority over the older genera-
tion with regards to computers. They are not inclined to communi-
cate with the older generation, or to persuade them to adopt new
views or values. Most of them agree with the statement, “It’s useless
to talk to them. I just go my own way.”
Second, a more serious problem that young Koreans have on the
level of symbolic struggle is the language problem. In my interviews,
all students noted that the most difficult problem with using the In-
ternet is understanding English. On the Internet, language consti-
tutes the habitus as the most efficient power mechanism in the
virtual world system. Without questioning the power of language on
the Internet, Korean youngsters take it for granted that they have to
adjust to the linguistic “grammar” of the Internet. Reading Internet
hypertexts in English consumes a great deal of their money and
time. Most students pointed out that they had to use a dictionary to
decode messages, which costs a lot of time and Internet connection
fees. Most of the time, they skimmed through the text because they
had difficulties in reading it.
However, young Koreans do not consider the linguistic practice
of the Internet as an imperialist power. Instead, these students try
to comply with the linguistic rule of the Internet. In cyberspace, Ko-
rean students find themselves powerless and ignorant. “L” said that
his identity in the cyberworld is “like a tiny grain of sand in a big
ocean,” and “A” considered himself to be a “free-rider.” “B” (in ele-
mentary school) said that he was “only a powerless consumer,” “C”
defined himself as “a parasite who makes no contribution.” Although
these students are disturbed by the language problem, they find
fault with themselves because they cannot fluently adapt to the
habitus of the virtual world system. Young Koreans are hopeful,
however, that they will contribute to the Internet corpus in the fu-
ture when their English is improved.
In the virtual world system, language exercises symbolic power.
It guides the new generation of Koreans regarding how they talk,