[Air-l] first post

[Luiz Carlos Baptista]

Just let me add my two cents (of euros, not dollars) in this growing
collection of Lance Strate articles about the metaphor of "space".

In the book "Communication and Cyberspace" (Hampton Press, 1996), there is a
very interesting article by Strate, called "Cybertime", in which he says:
"we tend to stress the similarities between computer technology and more
traditional notions of physical place; we view computer media as a where,
not a when. ... [W]hereas the emphasis on computer-mediated communication
points us in the direction of cyberspace, as our focus shifts to
computer-mediated culture, to the long-term construction of communities,
psyches, and shared systems of signification, we need to consider the
concept of cybertime".

The concept of "cybertime" is an alternative and a complement to that of
"cyberspace". In his article, Strate talks about the computer as clock
(measuring time) and as a medium (representing time), and then goes to on to
analyze the experience of time in the activities related to computers and
the corresponding changes to conceptions of self and of community.

The other articles are worth reading, and the book as a whole has stood well
the test of time.

Rgrds,

Luiz Carlos Baptista
lucabaptista at sapo.pt
lucabaptista at hotmail.com

----- Original Message -----
From: J Sternberg
To: air-l at aoir.org
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 6:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Air-l] first post


Let me second Meghan's recommendation, and add that there's an even more
relevant article by my colleague Lance Strate that offers a
comprehensive and rigorous analysis of numerous definitions and
categories of cyberspace:

Strate, L. (1999). The varieties of cyberspace: Problems in definition
and delimitation. Western Journal of Communication, 63(3), 382-412.

As he explains it, "The phenomena in question is better understood as a
plurality rather than a singularity. As a collective concept, cyberspace
can then be defined as the diverse experiences of space associated with
computing and related technologies.  Thus, it would follow that we can
refer to the varieties of cyberspace." (p. 383)

For those interested in grasping the complexity and multi-dimensionality
of the online environments afforded by CMC, this article should be
required reading.

Janet Sternberg, Ph.D.
Fordham University
Media Ecology Association


mdocx1 wrote:
>
> reading suggestion for the space/no space debate:
>
> the most recent issue of the Media Ecology Association's journal -
> Explorations in Media Ecology (EME) has some interesting questions about
> the space created by media - particularly Lance Strate's "The Cell Phone
> as Environment"
>
> No we, dont talk of 'phone space' or 'TV space' but we certainly use
> these devices as if those spaces existed.
> meghan dougherty
> University of Washington
> Department of Communication



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