[Air-l] An Internet without Space - 3 spaces

[Denise N. Rall]

Dear Air'ers -

One way to pursue this logically is simply to divide
(as I have done, below) this 'space' into three
different domains.  My argument is that the
interactions in these three kinds of space are
actually different as the users, the interface, and
the computing environments are actually different,
hence influencing the communication factors. 

Rall, Denise N. (2000). A functional analysis of the
Internet, the World Wide Web and Cyberspace:
Introducing some disciplinary protocols for online
education and research. unpublished ms.

This is somewhat similar to the previous proposals of
David Silver and others re: the 'stages of the
internet'. 

What I find most difficult about all of these
conversations is the assumption that we are talking
about one space - the Internet - rather than the
myriad of spaces that it has become. Some of the net's
activities are highly documented statistically, some
are not, some of the net's activities (see Turkle)
remains entirely within the users - a strictly
subjective feeling no matter what the actual 'space'
one inhabits looks like.  I.e, to defeat the proposal
of the above 'domains' some of the Net's activities
that are most 'real' are the interior feelings of
those who participate in a virtual community - whether
within a text-based Well or Moo or within the
interactive game parks of today.  

Cheers, Denise



=====
"What Narcissism Means to Me" (poetry) Tony Hoaglund (2003).
Denise N. Rall, PhD student, School of EnvironSciMgmt, Southern Cross Uni,  Lismore, NSW, 2480 Australia Phone +61-2-6624-8627 Fax +61-2-6624-8637 Office (Tuesdays) (02) 6620 3577 Mob 0438 233 344
http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/rsm/staff/pages/drall/index.html

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