The Definition of Cyperspace

In Benedikt's article, out of all ten of the definitions he gave, It was the first one that I connected with the most. It seemed like the definitions started with the more literal definitions and then moved towards more and more abstract ones, so while I could see some truth in the later ones, I still connected with the first one the most.

This definition states that Cyberspace is: "A new universe, a parallel universe created and sustained by the world's computers and communication lines. A world in which the global traffic of knowledge, secrets, measurements, indicators, entertainments, and alter-human agency takes on form: sights, sounds, presences never seen on the surface of the earth blossoming in a vast electronic night" (Benedikt 19).

I have always thought of Cyberspace in the more literal sense that it is simply information stored on computers and accessed by other computers via information lines. To consider it a form of electronic space is an attempt to visualize something that consists of 1's and 0's. It is not a limitless expanse like the second definition of Benedikt's says, because it is always limited by the number of computers connected to each other, even though the number is extremely large.

In this virtual space, as the definition above says, information from all around the world travels, and can reach places thousands of miles away in seconds, which tends to make our planet seem much smaller than we used to think of it. In cyberspace we are able to transmit this information and alter it, adding sounds and video together, and turn very basic numerical data into something we can see and hear. As the number of computers connected to the internet increases, so does the size of cyberspace, making it seem like an almost infinite amount of information is available to anyone.