CHOSEN TOPIC:
THE IDEA OF THE INTERNET AS CYBERSPACE HAS BEEN A PART OF OUR CONTEMPORARY CULTURE FOR SOME TIME, PARTICULARLY IN THE POPULAR MEDIUM OF FILM. BUT IS THE CONCEPT OF
CYBERSPACE STILL RELEVANT TO OUR CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY? DISCUSS WITH REFERENCE TO YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE OF CONTEMPORARY MEDIA.
To analyse this statement effectively, it is vital to establish an understanding of the term cyberspace and its relation to the internet and our contemporary culture, before addressing its' relevance to our contemporary society, reflected through popular mediums such as film and my experience to contemporary media.
The research of this relatively new phrase 'cyberspace', coined by cyberpunk science fiction author William Gibson, revealed diverse and varied opinions that have circulated since Gibsons' novel titled Neuromancer was released in 1984. British critical thinkers Manuel Castells and Donna Haraway's writings (consolidated by author and lecturer David Bell) in Cyberculture Theorists, note that Gibson used the term to describe "the imaginary 'datascape' which his characters entered by 'jacking in' - connecting their consciousness directly to networked computers." (2007, p.2). For the purposes of this essay though, I will try and quote the most current factual and common definitions.
- Firstly cyberspace is defined by the Australian Oxford Dictionary as "the notional environment in which electronic communication occurs; virtual reality." (2004, p.312)
- Another definition of cyberspace is given in on-line lecture notes from Griffith University, Parkwood as "a conceptual space where words, relationships, data, wealth and power are manifested by people using Computer Mediated Communication technologies..." (Stockwell, Dr S. 2009. 1501HUM New Communication Technologies Lecture (2) Notes - A Short History of Computing and the Internet).
- Lastly (but definitely not least) a concept delivered in a ProQuest Social Science Journal titled Cyberspace and Virtual Places explains a "metaphor used to understand computer networks is cyberspace. In a word, the metaphor of cyberspace is about disembodiment. A system of nodes is a kind of space, defined by interaction ..." (Adams, 1997).
Furthermore the internet (not to be confused with the Web which I liken to the 'mind') is the network of networked computers utilizing a globally unique address space sharing the the same set of communications protocols - the 'brain'.
Therefore we may deduct that cyberspace is a virtual 'space' experienced by and contributed to by millions of people around the globe within the internet. Human relationships and the contents of their minds through computer networks.
Subsequently our contemporary culture, that is what we think, what we say, what we do, the foods we eat, the restaurants we dine in, the music we listen to, how we vote, the clothes we wear, the movies we watch - generally who we are, is part of this internet as cyberspace.
Contemporary culture depicts cyberspace in many mediums, particularly in the popular medium of film. Many films have showcased the idea of cyberspace, such as Johnny Mnemonic (a 1995 cyberpunk film, loosely based on the short story of the same name by William Gibson), Tron (a 1982 American science fiction film by Walt Disney Pictures where a man/gladiator is trapped inside a world inside a computer - an electronic arena - fighting inside the video world he created), eXistenZ (a 1999 film that explores the world of games and how obsessive play can warp reality, showcasing a game that requires a 'bio-port' into the spine where players plug the organic gaming device that immerses them in virtual reality), to name a few, but by far the most popular* seems to be the 1999 science fiction-action film the Matrix. The Matrix is a film that"pushes the boundaries of computer-generated effects as it explores a possible future
world where machines dominate humans but keep them in ignorant bliss of their real state. The machines in Matrix create a totally illusory reality for people, constructing their identities to suit the purposes of the machine ..." (Stockwell, Dr S. 2009. 1501HUM New Communication Technologies Lecture (11) Notes - Virtual Philosophy). An example of a recent film exploring internet as cyberspace (released this month) is Surrogates, an action-thriller where people live their lives remotely via a robotic surrogate representation of themselves. (Just for the record, not the cutting edge and revolutionary standard of special effects pioneered in the Matrix - nor plot for that matter).
This concept of cyberspace that our culture depicts in the medium of film brings this exploration to virtual reality. Virtual reality, as Dr Stephen Stockwell referenced in a Griffith University Lecture, is "an example of imagery becoming part of reality ..." (1501HUM New Communication Technologies Lecture 11, 2009 - Virtual Philosophy)..
Like Plato's Allegory of the Cave theory, our vision or version of reality is probably 'imperfect', as it is shown to us via other people's imagery and perception, or their desired perception for us. Our reality could be our response of what is 'virtually' given to us. It is worth remembering that Immersive Virtual Reality (Stockwell, Dr S. 2009. 1501HUM New Communication Technologies Lecture 11 - Virtual Philosophy) is not real, but the senses and feeling experienced are real, so is it reality or not? I suppose this is our fascination with this topic and the reason we explore it through various mediums, including film.
I believe that contemporary society realizes that the effects and implications of cyberspace is part of our culture and we are a part of it. Maybe because of our explorations, we deem cyberspace as a logical positivism and deal with it as true and real because we have proven to ourselves that in fact this intangible space is real, now and for our future.
Ultimately the concept of cyberspace is relevant to our contemporary society as it mirrors our contemporary society. It is represented through our culture in the choices we make and the way we live and subsequently represented through our society by way of the films we produce and watch. The future is already promising anticipations for the cyber society, based on current trends documented in the paper The Cyber Future - 92 ways our lives will change by the year 2025 by Edward Cornish, technology such as Infotech - a chip implanted somewhere in our bodies holding credit card details, identification, passport, diary etc and then there is the ultra tiny computer - a nanomachine - that may contain intelligence that could be injected into our bodies to perform such tasks as repairing muscle and brain cells. (1996, p.2).
My own experience with contemporary media is reflected in Daniel Downes book Interactive Realism where he aptly writes:
"a student searching he web for information" or "banking on-line" or "downloading a movie or music file from the Internet - reflect a level of sophistication in the lives of people who rely on computers for the most basic of tasks. Representations of computers are representations of the tools we use in contemporary life. On the Internet, media 'collapse', in the sense that all media (visual, auditory, textual) are used at the same time, complicating the ways in which we process information. Individuals routinely engage in practices that were once considered .... unavailable to the general public. Such practices have become, in a profound sense, sites of convergence of business, technology, regulation, and culture. ...The more people use such media in everyday life (instead of passively consuming media content) and the more such media use is socially reinforced, the more it can affect who we see ourselves to be. Computer programs are scripts or blueprints for world - and self-construction. Because of this, they provoke thinking about the boundaries between matter, life, and mind. Through digital communication, we create new collective and individual identities, as well as new environments for human interaction." (2005. p.4)
Furthermore, due to a recent university assignment, I have also recently 'produced' (and I use this term very lightly) a fictional news report via my mobile phone, uploaded it with added sound effects to the website www.ireport.com. The ireport website is a site in which anyone can upload 'news' reports. Ireport can offer this because of their disclaimer that advises users that the content is not checked or verified. Therefore this use of contemporary media empowers my usage, and potential influence in our culture.
My other experiences with contemporary media are numerous - which is the 'norm' of course for our times and my current contemporary culture. Facebook, Blogging, texting, digital gaming to audio recording, are all part of my life. With this comes the benefits as well as the pit-falls, such as creative commons, privacy, identity fraud, and even a future threat to mainstream journalism - but that is a whole separate essay!
LIST OF REFERENCES:
Adams, Paul C. 1997. Cyberspace and virtual places. Geographical Review 87, no. 2, (April 1): 155-171. http://www.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/ (accessed October 21, 2009).
Australian Oxford Dictionary 2004 (2nd ed). Ed. Bruce Moore, Oxford University Press, Australia.
Bell, David. 2007. Cyberculture Theorists Manuel Castells and Donna Haraway, Routledge. Abingdon, Oxon.
Cornish, Edward. 1996. The Cyber Future - 92 ways our lives will change by the year 2025. World Future Society. U.S.A.
Downes, Daniel. 2005. Interactive Realism the poetics of cyberspace, McGill-Queen's University Press. Montreal & Kingston.
Stockwell, Dr S. 2009. 1501HUM New Communication Technologies Lecture (2) Notes - A Short History of Computing and the Internet. Griffith University, Parkwood. https://learning.secure.griffith.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_71280_1&content_id=_945745_1
Stockwell, Dr S. 2009. 1501HUM New Communication Technologies Lecture (11) Notes - Virtual Philosophy. Griffith University, Parkwood.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Fishwick, M.W. 2002. Popular Culture in a New Age. The Haworth Press. New York.
Hakken, David. 1999. Cyborgs@Cyberspace. Routledge. New York.
Jordan, Tim. 1999. Cyberpower. Routledge. London.
Silver, D. & Massanari, A. 2006. Critical Cyberculture Studies. New York University Press. New York.
Strate, L. & Jacobson, R. 1997. Communication and Cyberspace - Social Interaction in an Eletronic Enironment. Hampton Press, Inc. New Jersey
Footnote:
* Most popular graded by a continual reference to this film in various readings for this essay, as well as overwhelming response to the question raised of most popular cyberspace film to many members of my community.
