Inspiration

My reality is not your reality.
Connections to other people make me more human and less human.
Tech and Cred.
Information wants to be free.
The System is corrupt. The Establishment is corrupt.
The war between individual and corporation, escalated by technology. Computers empower the individual. They also empower the multinational corporation's ability to decentralize operations but centralize control. [1]
What happens when the primary user of the net isn't white, male, and wealthy?
Cut & Paste.
Noise vs. Signal. Feedback. Roll a lot of dice. Signal: The amplitude of the mode (how many of the most common die result) is what matters. Feedback: Rerolls of the non-mode dice to improve the signal. Noise: Forced rerolls of the mode-dice to (probably) degrade the signal.

SF author Rudy Rucker has proposed the evolution of an avant-garde fictional form called transrealism, a revolutionary form dedicated to "the breaking down of consensus reality," the myth of shared reality which, according to Rucker, is "a major tool in mass thought control." The superficial acceptance of consensus is a barrier to true community, in which diversity of thought and perspective is not only accepted and tolerated, but encouraged. If I must assume that you and I share the same reality, there is a danger in proximity: if we're close enough, I might learn that your internal reality differs from mine (which, of course, it inevitably will). [2]

This mythology of cyberspace is interesting for two reasons. Firstly, it provides an alternative to the boredom of suburbia without having to deal with the danger of inner-city living. Every subculture needs a fantasy place to run away from suburban life to, be it the rural fantasy of the hippies or the urban fantasy of punk. Cyberspace is a fantasy destination for white, middle class suburbanites who realise that rural life is even more boring than the suburbs and the cities are becoming far too dangerous. [3]

"Cyberpunk seems to be filled with grim predictions about the future coupled with a willingness to hasten its advent by whatever means possible." John Perry Barlow [4]

Despite the slogans and manifestoes, there does not seem to be a unifying ethos. There are attempts to "hack" out a Hacker Ethic - you should redistribute pirate software, not sell it yourself for profit, etc. - but no attempts to enforce it or make it a true standard. Most computer undergrounders really don't have any sense of a grand social mission for their activities. It's just a way for them to get things they want for free and to go places where nasty grownups force them to get expensive accounts for before visiting. [5]

These all could apply to the Signal and Noise system in Verge: