The Real of Cyberspace
Gregg D. Richie · 8/26/97 at 1:47 PM ET
Yes, cyberspace is real but is it the "Real" as we, the Human Race, think of the term? Real to us usually means tangible, or reachable in some form of human feeling. The "real" of cyberspace for this generation means reachable via electronic methods. To meet to the true definition of the word real, cyberspace does fit. It is something that does take shape and form, even if this comes in the mode of new web pages. Now for a twist - who operates this cyberspace? No one entity controls it, no one person has the power to say what can and cannot be put to the collective world via the web (thank goodness) and finally who will repair it - if it crashes? The coming of the internet and the explosion of global connectivity has brought us nearly to the edge of becoming interactive only on a electronic plane. We spend so much time with, on and around our computer systems that we tend to neglect the basic human need for dialog with other humans (I am no exception.) I have found that the cyberspace chat rooms are filled with bored human beings trying to find an outlet for love, hate, aggression, passion, dissemination of personal opinion being passed off as the truth, and of course a playground for those who still like to write and distribute those nasty computer viruses.
How does all of this affect people on a psychological level? Not having a PhD I cannot answer that with any type of authority but as with all others I do have a theory. First, anonymity. This will make people brave, bold, daring, and even potentially dangerous. The thought of being able to express, reveal, direct, and communicate in partial and sometimes even complete anonymity makes people feel powerful. This can have extreme effects on the individual. On the one hand a timid person who was once the subject of everyone's jokes can now display how intelligent they really are without letting the other person see the way they look, the sound of their voice, or the style of their clothes. By contrast, the person who has the socially unacceptable thoughts and actions can become even more dangerous with respect to their access to the naive people who allow them to get too much information.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly is that cyberspace allows more of the worlds great minds to come together for the collective good. This will give people from all walks of life the one thing that, if absent will crush almost anyone - HOPE! If there is even an glimmer of hope the human spirit will fight to survive. Survival is a basic human instinct. Without hope present the instinct will become extinct and soon die.
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