Espen Aarseth's 1997 description of Multi-User-Discourses (MUDs) as being "in a limited sense ... autonomous systems of symbolic capital" where "the 'names' of users can, in a weak way, be regarded as a means of accumulating capital within the power structure, of the particular MUD" (146), appears as a remarkably accurate description of the underlying structure of a wide variety of present-day Internet phenomena. The online identities assumed by those who frequent chat rooms, discussion forums, blogs, even those who contribute to file sharing networks and Wikis, can be of enormous significance within the virtual worlds they inhabit. For this reason alone, Aarseth's study would appear to have an importance beyond simply being an analysis of a particular subculture. The MUD, it could be argued, may be the prototype for a wide range of online interactions.

It would seem likely that the rigorous 'ergodic' analysis employed by Aarseth, such as the study of causality and parallel action, has been applied to Internet phenomena other than MUDs. For even a casual observer of a typical Internet forum - typical in the sense that most forums conform to the same general thread-based structure - such patterns are readily apparent. In most such forums, users are required to register before posting. They then assume an identity, often enhanced with an avatar or identifying picture. As postings are accumulated over time a member's effective 'capital' may increase. Often this is commensurate with the quality of information they share, and reputations are built accordingly. Hierarchies and etiquettes develop, much as in the MUD environment portrayed by Aarseth.

Although blogs are supposedly more akin to traditional writing and journalism, those which allow and encourage comments can bear a striking resemblance to the MUD structure described by Aarseth. For certain blogs, comments may constitute their essential content .

The thread-based narratives which appear in these types of online discourses are often easily recognizable as conventional narratives . This can even be deliberately the case, as even specialized forums often have a Members Chat section, where it is not uncommon to find an ongoing collaborative story. While MUDs are of course still taking place today - some, indeed, are claimed to have been in progress for well over a decade - Aarseth's study appears to have identified the prototypical structure of collaborative discourse on the Internet.