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