Cyberspace?

How has the Internet, so called ‘cyberspace’, allowed its users to operate in a world? Some people see it as a new world of freedom and creative opportunities while others see it as a dumping place for businesses.

The term ‘cyberspace’ was first used by science-fiction writer William Gibson in his 1984 novel Neuromancer. He described it is a futuristic computer network that people use by plugging their minds into it. This term now refers to the Internet and lends a romantic image to a world where an almost limitless pool of information can be plucked from a network of computers and computer users around the world.

The Internet allows freedom to share information and ideas. Cyberspace can be explored by almost anyone who has access to a modem and a computer. This can also be viewed by mobile phones and televisions. One of the contributing reasons for the popularity of cyberspace is the freedom to share knowledge with others.  Another way in which cyberspace can be seen as a platform for creative expression is when it is used as a device to disclose information that would normally be guarded by political parties.  For instance, China is known as the biggest abuser of Internet freedom. The government has suppressed several hundred thousand websites and, according to Amnesty International, has jailed 61 people accused of using the Internet to spread anti-Communist propaganda.

Along with cyberspace’s popularity and its freedom, there are criticisms of those who champion cyberspace are based on the content of what can be found online. Some argue that there are subjects that should not be disclosed to the population at the same time as others complain that the facts are weaken at best, and completely missing in some cases.

The most significant argument against the freedom of cyberspace has always been about pornography. Pornography is the biggest generator of traffic on the Internet and the latest trend of providing pornography direct to a mobile phone has witnessed commercial breaks on some mainstream digital television channels flooded with semi-naked women selling images directly to the customer.

Furthermore, there are no real rules or regulations to cyberspace, there will always be content that is considered to be so inaccurate and unreliable.

The Internet is a vast and powerful tool and as such it is there to be used or abused by anyone with access. The arguments that the Internet should be regulated are important and should not be completely ignored. The power that some governments and big business corporations have over the flow of information is very real and this is something that should be examined closely. However, picking out certain aspects from cyberspace to be scrutinized will open a precedent for all content to be regulated.

It is my belief that the ability to take on board information and decide whether to accept it on your own terms is far more important to personal and social development than being told what you can or cannot digest. As such I believe that the World Wide Web, the Internet, cyberspace, or whatever moniker it falls under does constitute a new world of freedom and creative opportunities and the fact that it is not regulated by self-appointed censors should be applauded and defended.

Reference

Brown, Andrew (1999) The Limits of Freedom – Censoring the Internet and Offensive Internet Sites New Statesman (12 February 1999 Issue)

Castells, Manuel (2002) The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business and Society Oxford University Press

Flanagan, Mary (2000) Navigating the Narrative in Space: Gender and Spatiality in Virtual Worlds Art Journal (Fall Issue 2000)

Turner, Annie (2002) Censorship and the Internet: Just Where is the Real Threat to Internet Freedom Coming From? Communicate Magazine (June 2002 Issue)