In 1984, William Gibson coined a term that would become synonymous with Generation X, Y, and the many Millennials on our planet. That term was cyberspace. Initially first coined in a science fiction novel, the term evolved into everyday language through usage.
Cyberspace (from Greek Κυβερνήτης [kybernētēs] meaning "steersman", "governor", "pilot", or "rudder") is the global domain of electromagnetics as accessed and exploited through electronic technology and the modulation of electromagnetic energy to achieve a wide range of communication and control
As soon as we turn on a computer we enter the graphic dimension of cyberspace where this neuro-electronic interface takes place and the worlds data networks unfold before our eyes. The screen is thus converted into a window through which we can access a plethora of information, in many ways too much to ever really comprehend or digest.
The very interesting thing about cyberspace is although it is a space, we have the opportunity to be closer to so many people that we never would have done before. An example in the book talks about an online funeral and mouning period that was observed by over 25 million people. Before the explosion of cyberspace there was a delineation between our public and private lives. Today, in my opinion privacy does not exist. There are no private places anymore, least of all within the world of cyberspace.
And even though our private lives are dead, our social lives are thriving. Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn and others have exponentially grown in the last ten years bringing with them a new type of 'togetherness'. In this cyberspace we can grow with each other and have a feeling of friendship in spaces that don't even really exist in our reality.
A recent poll of couples in New York City found that one in free couples started their relationship online somehow. That is 1/3 of all couples! Of course this is a show of the times and a reflection of the way our lives are heading. With people that are more focused on careers, jobs, and working out their lives, it is hard to find social places where they can meet and mingle. Cyberspace may not only be the new dating scene, but it may be the new 'social scene' of our lives.
Yes, very much a scene! Good observations here!
ReplyDeleteIts unbelievable how many relationships start online today. My mother, a very old school European, actually met her fiance online. I thought I was dreaming when she told me she went to Match!
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