In Michael Benedikt’s article: Cyberspace, First Steps, he attempts to define cyberspace through a list of ten possible explanations that include its’: purposes, accessibility, dimensions, and location. As intriguing as these explanations may seem they are not definitive or conclusive in and of themselves. Each is elusive regarding the tangibility of cyberspace, which begs the question: does cyberspace really exist and are the following ten statements true? As we will see, the realm of cyberspace does in fact exist and there is truth in each of Benedikt’s definitions of it, but attempts to explain cyberspace defy reason and logic because it is tantamount to putting limits on the infinite.
Benedikt’s first definition of cyberspace: “a new and parallel universe”, is the most convincing analogy of the ten because it is conceptually universal as it encompasses each of the other definitions. (p. 19). Cyberspace exists as a parallel universe, in the sense that it resides among us as an unseen realm outside of the physical world. Although it is a separate realm from the physical, it is connected to it and accessible at will through computers. Author, James Q. Jacobs agrees with this analogy in his article: Cyberspace is a Parallel World, A Metaphor Analysis, in which he compares cyberspace to “a new realm of experience” (4-9-10). What this term means is this: it is a new reality of human experiences, conditions, and states of being “human”. Jacobs also uses the term “mapping” in reference to the adaptation of data within this new realm. In other words the translation of computer coding can be increasingly modified to expand the boundaries of this new, parallel universe to accommodate man’s desires: forever redefining cyberspace.
This revelation of expansive boundaries within cyberspace gives credence to Benedikt’s second and most interesting definition: cyberspace as a limitless space that can be accessed anywhere. The fact that cyberspace is accessible anywhere at virtually any time is evidence of its existence and truth. Author, James Q. Jacobs also agrees with this analogy in his article: Cyberspace is a Parallel World, A Metaphor Analysis, in which he compares cyberspace to “a new realm of experience” (4-9-10). Experiences are only limited by man’s imagination, and experiences within the cyberspace realm of virtual reality (VR) are proof. In VR new developments in cyber-technologies are continuing to increase the variety of possible experiences that man can enjoy, such as those in gaming. Ananda Mitra and Rae Lynn Schwartz, Department of Communication Wake Forest University write: “It is no longer possible to live within the metaphors of maps, movements, and nations, but it is important to move away from these signifiers to ones that address the more authentic lived experience of web-maps, hyperlinked-spaces and cyber-communities where the hyphenation signifies the cybernetic space we occupy”. (4-9-10). In other words, the reality of new experiences and their limitless possibilities within cyberspace are enhancing the lives of human beings: making the physical cumbersome, mundane, and passé: obscured by the realities of the infinite. A perfect example is e-commerce: doing business electronically. It is far more efficient.
The limitlessness of cyberspace provides the foundation for Benedikt’s third definition, which basically describes cyberspace as being ambiguous in every way conceivable. The canons of archival information have continually shape-shifted or evolved over the centuries, changing in size, shape, dimension, location, and purpose: from clay tablets; to reeds; to books; and to cyberspace (a virtual library of all knowledge). Although cyberspace is not constructed of stone and is not visible or tangible, it is undeniable that the key to this archive exists within the columns that define one’s personal space at any given place and time. Its ambiguity is its success because it does not have to conform to the confines of the finite. For example, the Internet was a viable form of communication during 911 when other forms of communications failed.
The ambiguous nature of cyberspace supports Benedikt’s forth definition of it as a “mental geographical space of shared knowledge”. (p. 19). This statement is true because cyberspace possesses and stores accumulated information similar to the brain that is retrievable and modified through a given code or computer language. Much like human language, digital code itself is not tangible but it can be seen, read, programmed, written, printed, typed, understood, misunderstood (in its textual form), and sometimes even heard and spoken through advanced technologies. Computer codes can be set into action through a computer when powered by electricity: much like the existence of a physical address that can be accessed by a vehicle powered by gasoline along a given highway. The Internet highway itself may not be visible, however its existence is evidenced by the results of its ultimate destination: access to a vast databank or collection of our combined knowledge and personal thoughts. One could argue that the air we breathe is not visible either, but we know of its existence because of its proven results. The same may be said of cyberspace, which is necessary for multiple purposes in our daily lives and easily accessible. Its dimensions and location, however, are much more ambiguous. It is a place one can experience (such as virtual reality), but it has no dimensions and is as vast as the universe.
The knowledge that information can travel on an invisible highway is further explained in Benedikt’s fifth description. Here Benedykt mentions cyberspace as any place where electricity carries data, which parallels other energy sources and their subsequent cargoes. Electricity is the energy that powers a computer and propels its keyboard commands into action. Without electricity keyboard commands cannot be translated into code or set into motion. Evidence of this exists when those commands reach their destination and are intelligible. If not for electricity and computers, our abilities to send email would not exist.
Data input that is saved onto a computer hard-drive powered by electricity, amounts to a cyber recording device of all that exists. This sixth definition of cyberspace applies to all information that has ever been digitally uploaded (recorded) successfully and can be played back and or interacted with over the Internet. Interactive websites, computer gaming and virtual reality sites online are just a few examples.
Similar to a recording device, Benedikt’s seventh description defines cyberspace as an all-seeing eye that knows everything, similar to God or big brother. Everything that enters cyberspace is there, in some form, for eternity. Nothing can be permanently hidden or erased once it has been created. All information may be brought back to light, to perform its original duty and undergo scrutiny. Evidence of this fact can be seen in police work where deleted information has been retrieved to solve crimes.
An example of this all-seeing eye of cyberspace can be seen in marketing firms who make it their business to keep records of all purchases. This electronic marketplace is Benedikt’s eighth definition, where all information (as a commodity in itself) can be obtained and or repurposed, and sold to the highest bidder, such as one’s personal Internet activity. Knowledge of products purchased or researched on the Internet can be sold or stolen in the form of digital information to solicit more business. The truth within this definition can be seen in cases of unsolicited business, by unfamiliar sources familiar with one’s digital purchasing history, and in cases of stolen identity over the Internet.
Not only can information that is stored in cyberspace have a monetary value, it can also be beneficial to the environment. Benedikt’s term: “realm of pure information”, refers to his ninth definition of cyberspace in which digital information is argued to be more efficient. The development of cyberspace is responsible for unclogging and unpolluting the environment in many ways. Clear-cutting, noise pollution, sight pollution, and air pollution can all be reduced as digital files and the Internet highway replace our reliance on paper and the interstate highway.
The most noticeable aspect of cyberspace is the fact that it is unnoticeable, which may explain Benedikt’s tenth explanation: “Cyberspace as just described does not exist”. (p. 20). It is intangible, yet its effects are a culmination of all sensory experiences. Scientists are developing cyber-sensory technologies that will enable an individual to have a full-sensory experience in cyberspace.
Cyberspace, like God, is a phenomenon that can only be experienced. Both defy reason and logic because the infinite have no limits, including those posed by definition. Therefore, if it were possible to define cyberspace, wouldn’t it be possible to define God?
Works Cited
Benedikt, Michael. “Cyberspace: First Steps.” The Cybercultures Reader. Ed: Bell, David; Kennedy, Barbara New York: Routledge, 2000. Second Edition. Pgs. 19,20.
Jacobs, James. ©1999. Cyberspace Is A Parallel World: A Metaphor Analysis. 4-9-10. <http://www.jqjacobs.net/anthro/metaphor.html>. http://www.jqjacobs.net/anthro/metaphor.html
Mitra, Ananda; Schwartz, Rae Lynn. October, 1, 2001. From Cyber Space To Cybernetic Space: Rethinking The Relationship Between Real And Virtual Spaces.4-9-10. <http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol7/issue1/mitra.html>. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol7/issue1/mitra.html.
April 16, 2010 at 10:50 pm |
good job; got the credit marked for this