The Anthropology of Cyber-Place-Space.

The Anthropology of Cyber-Place-Space.

In modern times there are new rules governing our human experience. The internet was released to the public in 1993 and in 1994 the World Wide Web (www) software emerged for use on the internet, allowing people to interact and communicate in a place other than the ‘real world’, this virtual space that now exists goes by the name of “Cyberspace.”  Computers and Cyberspace have become a physiological extension of ourselves, a “space” that reflects our attitudes and interests. It is a transitional space that we choose to enter, where we can encounter people avoiding proximity and propinquity, which are the main concepts of interpersonal attraction.



‘Cyberspace’ was a term coined by William Gibson in his cyberpunk novel Neuromancer, it is the word given to simplify and explain the space where information bits detached from persons and places pass through the ether at the speed of light. In the ‘space’ within Cyberspace there is no sense of geographical distance “it is almost like teleportation or instantaneous relocation. One minute you’re here; for an indeterminate (though usually short) period you’re nowhere; then you’re there.”  At the moment the user connects with the internet they are transported into two spheres; the ‘real-world’ and virtual space. The user often feels as though they are consciously or unconsciously entering a ‘place’. How does one act in this virtual space? Due to the lack of boundaries that exist in Cyberspace, it is easy to flâneur through pages and information, treating each web page with equal importance (or unimportance). This means trust is essential for the existence and cooperation online. Companies that trade within Cyberspace need to gain the users certainty in order to continue to operate.  For example we simply click “Pay” while in an online transaction, with the knowledge and expectation that the seller will uphold their exchange responsibilities. It is an incredible evolution of trust, where we have become very vulnerable and almost naïve to the consequences of these actions.  We have put our faith into the internet. Internet dating is another instance where we put our trust in the unknown, believing the people we meet in a chat room are who they say. Anti-virus software is helping increase the security within Cyberspace, encryption has been introduced as a method of protection against phishing (a scam used for identity theft) during the transfer of data. Privacy will always be an issue as all our passwords, personal details, emails, the list is infinite; belong to ‘someone’ and are held somewhere within this virtual realm, how long can this continue? Already we have seen the catastrophes that have occurred due to Wikileaks; who anonymously release private and classified information from news sources. Do we now have “the right to be forgotten” ? We will soon see as the European Union fights Google to ensure that we gain the right to abolish past media on social networking systems.



Computers and Cyberspace is now a ‘space’ where we can reflect our attitudes and interests. “Web 2.0”  is the term coined for sites that allow users to interact and collaborate as a virtual community by ways of social media. These include social networking sites, blogs, wiki, video and music sharing, and web applications.  Today we socialize online, we regularly ‘meet’ people online and get to ‘know’ each other through discussion boards, social networks, where human communication is no longer present.



”Non-verbal information accompanies the words – gestures, tone, emanations of feeling – and this helps us to interpret what is said and how to respond. This is surely why we say that social interaction is real.” 



We are now able to express and represent ourselves in a digital form. We are creatures of nature and often surrounding ourselves with information to appease our individual interests. We can now interiorize a virtual ‘’non-space” , by use of backgrounds, images, templates, font and layouts. Through this expression there is a sense of anonymity and solitude, but there is also the chance for dyadic interaction, where “mixed mode”  relationships can be formed, these affairs begin online and can eventually moving to offline meetings; face-to-face (F2F).



“The words are abstract enough; but the exchange is face-to-face, grounding what passes between us in the exigency of place. Writing made it possible to detach meaning from the persons and places where it was generated and to communicate at some distance in time and space, not only in the here and now.



Cyberspace has become a second universe that allows people to display messages in a non-interactive way through a multi-media format, employing words, pictures, sound, animation and video. Cyberspace mimics ‘real life’, digitalization has improved the ability to interact with a great increase the speed and reliability of information within. Let us not forget the unpredictability of the internet, the multiplicity of this ever-changing, evolving, environment, and unpredictable place. There is no escape as yet, but why worry you have everything you need at the tip of your fingers? At present all your information is secure. Worrying is a thing of the past…right?