fashioning the potential of art on line

In another context GH wrote:

…Trying to equate what artists have done in the past i.e.
self-portrait-studio-reflexivity was the current conceptual trend of the
1970's art world. Vito Acconci's several video-performances come to
mind. It really has no relevance to what's happening in the 1990's.

benjamin weil replied:

contrary to your ascertion, i do believe the advent of I.T. and the
network of distributiuon that goes with it prompts a reflection that
echoes very much the practice of art as an arena of investigation 2 or 3
decades ago. there not only is a lot to learn from that state of mind in
terms of fashioning the potential of art on line, but it also adds on to
the whole issue of art as a production that needs not be equated to
commodity and finished product. I would not be so dismissive as to what
is being done on the web (and with new technology off line). it is
(still, at least now) an arena of experiment, that lets me think there
is a core participation of art to the definition of the web as a - full
fledged - medium.