“Cyberspace. A concentual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation…A graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light arranged in the non-space of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding…”

That’s the definition of Cyberspace from William Gibson’s science fiction novel, Neuromancer. He coined the term in 1984 when the book was published, but it isn’t until recently that the concept has come into popular use. Nowadays, there are few books written about virtual reality and the Internet that do not refer in some way to Gibson’s original vision.

But what is this “Cyberspace” exactly? Well, the more romantic and science-fiction-based version of Cyberspace is this computer-generated universe that can be accessed through a computer or even a cable that plugs right into your head. In this other world, all the computer systems of the world are represented by abstract icons. For instance, a certain bank computer might look like a giant pyramid with dollar signs orbiting around it. The computer for a large corporation might look like a digitized version of the company headquarters. All of these systems would be seen floating in a blue-black void criss-crossed with lines of neon light. This is often referred to as the Matrix or the Web.

Interestingly enough, Gibson’s idea was so very much like our present day Internet, or Information Superhighway, that many people find it helpful to refer to interaction on the Internet in terms of Gibson’s Cyberspace. The idea is so intriguing to some people that they have begun to use the book Neuromancer as an agenda for how today’s computer systems should work.

The Internet originated as a host of very powerful computers linked together by the Government for purposes of national defense. Since its beginning, many universities, research centers, government agencies and commercial businesses have been added to the network. All of these systems have actual physical locations, but in the computer realm, they are all next door neighbors. In cyberspace, everything is within walking distance, if you have the time.

So there’s this idea of all these places floating around in an electronic void. Because it is so abstract, it is convenient to talk about events on the Internet as though it were a real physical reality. For instance, I might say that I logged onto the VAX but then left DePauw and went to Oberlin to root around for some song lyrics. After that, I stopped off at NASA to check out some satellite photos. While I was there, a friend of mine from Australia called me and we chatted for about half an hour. All of these things happened without me actually going anywhere. But isn’t it much easier for me to relate this information to you without using all the computer jargon that there would be without the metaphor of Cyberspace?

If the Internet can be made easier to understand, then more people will use it and the world will benefit from the spread of ideas and the interaction of so many people. This brings me to another term that doesn’t get tossed around as much as “Internet” or “Cyberspace” and that term is the “DataSphere.” This is another way of saying “all the information in the world.” Theoretically, every computer in the world can access the information on any other computer. That’s a lot of stuff! Think of all the books, music, art, scientific research, subversive literature, social commentary and other such things that must be out there. That’s all part of the DataSphere. Think of the DataSphere as the Earth. The Internet is the highway you use to travel around the DataSphere and Cyberspace is the universe in which the planet exists.

In an effort to make all this information more accessible for even the most computer-illiterate individual, programmers have created useful computer tools to help you navigate your way around the Internet. One of these tools is a program called “Mosaic.” It’s called Mosaic because the Internet is like a collection of millions of small pieces patched together to form a big picture. With Mosaic, every place you visit on the Internet is represented by a picture. You can use a mouse to just click on a place you’d like to go or information you’d like to receive. It lets you see pictures, watch short movies and listen to sounds and music. It’s trying to bring the technical world of the Internet towards something more familiar and friendly-looking.

Computerists and fans of William Gibson alike are also working on a virtual reality interface for the Internet. This idea involves wearing a special helmet that would allow you to actually see computer-generated images of the systems you’re visiting, just like in Neuromancer. You’d just float along, picking up information you want and displaying it on the helmet’s screen.

But this is in the distant future. Something that will happen a bit sooner is direct Internet connections to everybody’s house. Along with cable television, you will be able to have direct access to the Internet through a new fibre optic cable system that is now being tested in various parts of the country.

You may be aware that a similar fibre optic network will be installed here at DePauw next year. This will bring cable television and VAX access to every dorm room and Greek living unit. This represents a huge technological leap into the early 21st century. Students will be able to do everything from their rooms, even watch videos instead of going over to the library and sitting in the IMS media classroom. Imagine a future where video conferencing technology allows you to go to class without going to class. You see your professor on the screen and all your class notes and papers are sent back and forth over the cable. The way we go to college may change drastically in the next ten years.

Although someone else is creating this technology, we are the generation that will use it and make decisions about how it will be used. Maybe the virtual classroom isn’t such a good idea. If there’s so many good uses for the Internet, then there must be bad ones as well. Who will make the rules? Will there be any? As interaction in cyberspace becomes more widespread, will we start to lose contact with the real world? These are the questions that will face us in the 21st century.

“Have you ever checked out a book on the other side of the world?”

“YOU WILL.”

“Have you ever renewed your driver’s license from a bank machine?”

“YOU WILL”

“Have you ever installed a phone on your wrist?”

“YOU WILL”

Have you ever been directly involved with making decisions about how technology will affect your life, your generation and the world, for better or for worse?

You will.