Friday, October 23, 2009

Essay





Cyberspace in the contemporary world.
Hanne sandal

The question we all start with is what is cyberspace? How does cyberspace fits in with the contemporary world? How are we a part of it? And how do we define it, the main definition of cyberspace comes from William Gibson`s book Neuromancer from 1982, where he defined cyberspace as a world linked together in and with computer systems.

Today cyberspace is used to explain the physics of the web, and the thought world. Something that is illustrated by sending files and downloading files from the web (that is the physics part), and when you meet other people online (that is the thoughts world). It is opening new doors. This space is narrowing down the borders between us, and making the world smaller and smaller, with every blogger, technology is such a huge part of our everyday lives. A way to explain and how it is evolving this I found in the book of Michael Benedikt, and his book Cyberspaces first steps.
“ Advanced digital technologies, such as those that generate cyberspace hold considerable promise as a testing ground for post ritual theories and practise, in particular as conceptualized by a critical post-industrial, post organic anthropology” (h-refl 1).

Gibson’s Cyberspace is not a regular “room”/space, but a space of surfaces, images, simulating and empty signs. These spaces consist of computer-based information, and create a virtual world that evolves in the speed with the real world. This virtual world becomes a sort of a sci- fi version of the real world. Gibson called this world, the cyberspace for The Matrix.
I would say that the movie “The Matrix” is very relevant. Shortly explained, this movie is about a virtual world where the humans are being kept prisoners, without knowing it. It is as if they were in a bubble and no one is able to burst that bubble.
It is the virtual world, which is tied together with our world. You can look at cyberspace as a world in change, with changing between worlds, kingdoms and rulers, and technology. But every day an invisible enemy attacks the digital society, and the fight has moved to cyberspace.

It is when we use the definition of the physical net, and the imagine world (the thought). For instance when we send and download files online (the physical web), and we meet online (the thought world). This world is coming into our lives more and more, weird in our house, and becoming a bigger part. It is like this “our hopes for the convergence are dominating our common sense. The creation of the converge, and hence stability, we seek requires that we cease to attempt to `save` or `overcome` space and time through the use of technology” (h- refl 2)
We somehow feel that we are invincible, and that we can do everything!

Cyberspace and the Matrix is the same thing, a world where nothing is real, since everything is virtual, the difference is that we know cyberspace is virtual.
A good way to show this is through a scene, from Matrix where Neo and Morpheus are fighting, in the virtual world, weird to the system.
“You think that’s air you’re breathing now? Don’t think you are, know you are!”

h-refl
viewed at 16 october 2009.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d14jRsAobtk



In the contemporary world this fits in with the fact that we are so tied, and addicted to being in this world, and are so tired of our everyday life, that we escape from that life and in to this visual world, where the sky is the limit. Where fiction, and visual rule, the politics do not have so much power in this world. We wire up to this and escape and hope there will not come a virus and ruin the perfect little world. Where life is good. An online social situation, where you create a new and better life, where you create a online social network. “Cyberspace is providing spaces where new authentic places are being created supporting news forms of community” Mapping cyberspace of Martin Dodge,Rob Kitchin (h-refl 4)


But does this make it hard for someone to part what is fiction and what is real? If they get too tied up and, can’t separate the reality from what’s not reality. Some people get stuck in this world, and isolate them self-form the real world, and there is where it becomes dangerous. “Many people do not take the opportunity to play with their identity online” (h- refl 4), some people are to tied in this world, in the book about this culture in this world it is explained like “ we have developed the belief that political, moral and social problems are the result of a lack of communication, and if we improve communication we will also solve the various problem that plague modern life” (h- refl 5)
But we are all citizens of cyberspace! We all long for a perfect world, where we create and change everything, established laws, and secure our society, and our freedom. Cyberspace is our day’s wild west, which William Gibson also mentioned in his book. It is where laws are not taken in consideration! An example of this is the case against the creators of Pirate Bay, the pirate downloading of movies and music, they were in court in Stockholm Sweden, getting there judge fore there lawbreaking actions. It is important that we have boundaries, and law in the world of web, the American Lawrence Lessling held a lecture in Berlin in 2000, where he took up the importance of having boundaries, have restrictions to follow, and not goo “loose” have a new law order for the internet.
On the same way have the establishing of filters against illegal actions online (against children for instance), the filter have not yet been able to remove this from the online world. When this type of sensible filters are established and carried out, does this create opportunity for other types of filters and censure online? National government has no sovereignty online; the web has no landline. And it is a world where everybody gets in; independent of where you are born, and what economic status you are in.
“ It is the global brand of community” (h- refl 5)

Sources I have used for this essay on Cyberspace.
all the Matrix mivies

Neuromancer of William Gibson

1-Cyberspace: first step : of Michael Benedikt

2- Cyberspace: first steps: of Michael Benedikt

3- CyberSociety 2.0: revisiting computer-mediated communication and community:
Of Steve Jones

4- Mapping cyberspace of Martin Dodge,Rob Kitchin


5 -Virtual culture: identity and communication in cybersociety: of Steve Jones

Aftenposten. Article from 28.04.09 (Norwegian newspaper)

h-refl
viewed October 16 2009
Books in Cyberspace
http://www.teleread.org/usnews.htm


1 comments:

  1. Your chosen topic gives a good overall account of contemporary cyberspace and the implications it can have. The quotes and sources you’ve used are good – the movie clips works well to reinforce the discussion. When you are discussing Gibson’s work – this also needs to be referenced accordingly. Despite the referencing issues, there are some nice insights into this topic. Good Work 81/100

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