Open AccessFrom cyberspace to cyberspatialities?
Author(s) -
Daniela Ferreira,
Mário Vale
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
fennia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.346
H-Index - 20
eISSN - 1798-5617
pISSN - 0015-0010
DOI - 10.11143/fennia.100343
Subject(s) - cyberspace , space (punctuation) , meaning (existential) , epistemology , sociology , computer science , the internet , world wide web , philosophy , operating system
This paper is a short reflection on the evolution of the meaning of the term cyberspace for geographers. We argue that the concept of cyberspace has become a rhizomatic one as spatial thinkers have unveiled its complex inner and outer networkings. While cyberspace was initially understood as a new open space ripe for exploration, its intricate connections with real space through the technological infrastructures that make cyberspace possible have led geographers to consider the multiple points of access and types of cyberspace. More recently, there has been renewed attention to the inner geographies of cyberspace and its cyberdivides have been exposed. We briefly retrace this evolution to argue that the way forward is to shift from an idea of cyberspace as a predefined space to a notion of cyberspatialities as ongoing spatial digital formations.