Cyberspace

Submitted To
Mam Zaib Kanwal

Submitted By
Malik Hassan
Roll No 52
BS 5TH Regular

Introduction
The term Cyberspace was first introduced in science fiction. Today, Cyberspace far transcends the science
fiction novel and refers to the vast mass communication networks created by television, radio, and especially
the multimedia technology of the Internet.
As a social experience, individuals can interact, exchange ideas, share information, provide social
support, conduct business, direct actions, create artistic media, play games, engage in political discussion,
and so on, using this global network. They are sometimes referred to as cybercasts. The term cyberspace has
become a conventional means to describe anything associated with the Internet and the diverse Internet
culture. The United States government recognizes the interconnected information technology and the
interdependent network of information technology infrastructures operating across this medium as part of the
US national critical infrastructure. Amongst individuals on cyberspace, there is believed to be a code of
shared rules and ethics mutually beneficial for all to follow, referred to as cyber ethics. Many view the right
to privacy as most important to a functional code of cyber ethics. Such moral responsibilities go hand in
hand when working online with global networks, specifically, when opinions are involved with online social
experiences.
According to Chip Morningstar and F. Randall Farmer, cyberspace is defined more by the social
interactions involved rather than its technical implementation. In their view, the computational medium in
cyberspace is an augmentation of the communication channel between real people; the core characteristic of
cyberspace is that it offers an environment that consists of many participants with the ability to affect and
influence each other. They derive this concept from the observation that people seek richness, complexity,
and depth within a virtual world.
By the late 1960s, the mainframe computer had made great inroads in changing business areas
ranging from airline reservations to railroad freight schedules, in government agencies from the Social
Security Administration to the Federal Housing Administration, and in educational programs to
assist students in learning. The mainframe computer began to revolutionize business by providing an ability
to handle, store, retrieve, and analyse large amounts of data. Companies with large customer bases used
these computers and integrated them into day-to-day business activities. Of course, because of the size and
expense of such computers, access was limited during the 1970s.
In

the

early

1980s,

the

personal

computer

became

available

and

changed the

accessibility problem. The small size of this computer, as well as the reduced individual cost, made
computerization of business, government, and education feasible on a wide scale. The personal computer, or
PC, was becoming readily available to smaller businesses and homes. It was then that the computer
explosion took place in the United States and worldwide. Many individuals began to do more and more
routine tasks on computers. Data could be downloaded onto disks at work and brought home for further

processing.

School

and

educational

work could

be

done

on

computer. Home

records could

be computerized. As morecomputers were manufactured, they became affordable in price for many.

As

computer technology advanced, computers became smaller and portable.

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is the study of cognitive processes using the conceptual frameworks and
the tools of computer science. It is based on the techniques used by the human mind. These techniques
are referred to as semantic information processes. AI began as a sub-field of computer science in the midfifties. Rule-based expert systems were the first type of AI systems to become widely available and used
beyond the AI academic community.
In the rule-based expert system, a rule is encoded in a simple, stylized if-then format. If certain
conditions are known to hold, then the AI system will take the stated action or draw the
statedconclusion. Rule-based systems workchaining these various encoded rules together. For chaining, there
are two different ways of reasoning, for humans as well as for expert systems. A problem is presented. In
forward chaining, information is gathered on the problem, and the expert system draws a conclusion. In
backward chaining, the expert system starts with a goal, and then seeks evidence that supports or contradicts
this goal.
The advances in technology are incredible. Many areas of computer technology are improving so fast
that hardware and software becomes obsolete in 18 months or less. This has kept the cost of
many technological products low as closeout sales take place. This has further resulted in computers
becoming almost universally used in business, and increasingly used in many homes across the nation.
The Internet was established between government and academic computers many years ago to allow
the transfer of information and to provide communications in the event of a national emergency. With the
advent of browser software during the 1990s, and the capability of graphics as well as text transmission, the
World Wide Web of the Internet rapidly became a medium for mass communication and commerce with the
general public. The Internet, especially the World Wide Web, is now an international network. It is used
extensively for the marketing of products and services. Substantial retail sales now take place each year on
the Internet. Many individual investors have Internet brokerage accounts. The Internet is also there positron
of vast amounts of factual information and statistics so it can be used as an educational tool. Students can
gather research data and then use such research in school projects.
Young students are often very favourable to the use of computers in the classroom. Many of the
children of today were exposed to computer games at an early age. Most of the children were also exposed
to computer-assisted imagery in movies and on television. Examples of this are the special effects in Star
Wars, and the animation in Toy Story.
Apple Computer Corporation became involved in a study and collaboration with public schools in
1985, when a lot of publicity concerning the future of the personal computer and education, as well as
business, was prevalent. It must be noted that this was also a time of intense competition between Apple and
the other operating system for the PC being used by IBM Corporation and Microsoft. It was important to

these companies for young children to start using computers at an early age in order to become more familiar
with having them around than their parents' generation to ensure growth of the industry in general. Not
only was that important, but the exposure to one or the other companies' operating systems and brand names
in school can serve to establish brand loyalty when these children become adults and go into the business
world.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Cyberspace
Some advantages of cyberspace are informational resources, entertainment, and social networking. The
Internet is a virtual library of information. You can get any kind of information on any topic that you desire,
it will be available on the Internet. There are search engines like Google and Yahoo and they are at your
service 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.. You can get information like who was the first person to fly a
plane or the dollars current value.
Ease of Information
Exchange one of the reasons for the popularity of online communication is its ability to cross
continents and time zones, allowing 24-hour global communication access. Economically, this is a great
advantage, reducing the cost of travel and saving time. Online communication is available both
synchronously (for example, through Instant Messenger and chat) and in delayed forms such as email. This
means that it is available at all times and communicators can attend to messages when it suits them, reducing
the need to schedule meetings.
Reduced Social Cues
As outlined above, the reduction of communication cues can be an advantage and a disadvantage in
online communication. Inability to observe the body language, facial expressions and tone of voice of the
other communicator may assist in focusing on the issue at hand, but it can also lead to misinterpretation,
frustration and mistrust. Tan (2005) reports that high levels of negative emotion prior to engaging in Page 7.
Negotiation increase the likelihood of mistrust, suspicion and sinister attribution error in the online world
more than in the offline world. In e-commerce, absence of social cues often leads to lack of trust in online
purchasing, with many consumers preferring to buy the old-fashioned way (Wingfield, 2004). Surprisingly,
recent research suggests that lack of social cues does not encourage dishonesty amongst otherwise honest
individuals (Chester, 2005) and eBay officials claim that occurrence of online fraud is no different to the
offline world (Wingfield, 2004: A4). Chester (2005) found that student online representations accurately
reflected their offline representations, with very little evidence of deliberate online deception. The results
also indicated a tendency for displaying ones true self, which led the researcher to conclude that online
anonymity appears to facilitate honest self-presentation, permitting users to reveal themselves in ways more
truthful than in the offline world (Chester, 2005: 8). It seems that as the internet grows to be a daily

communication medium, individuals apply the same values to it as they do to other communication contexts.
Those honest in person or over the phone also tend to behave in such manner online and vice versa. To
reduce misinterpretation of feelings communicated via online text, email, chat and instant messaging
services have invented symbols and norms, which assist in communicating the emotional content of
messages. For example, symbols such as smileys can be used to magnify the happiness or sadness of textbased information, while writing in caps typically signifies shouting. Ambiguity can also be reduced through
simple, user-friendly system architecture, by including clarification options such as direct requests, time and
date tracking and translation services. Finally, the capability to save all discussed materials may reduce
feelings of mistrust in some cases, allowing communicators to feel confident that all agreements are
recorded and can be presented as evidence in future communication.
Online Hierarchies
The removal of social cues such as attractiveness and ethnicity disrupt hierarchys characteristic of
the offline world, creating opportunities for offline disadvantaged individuals to communicate on fairer
ground. Communities disadvantaged by geographical location, confinement, threats of violence, mobility,
sight or hearing impairments may use technology to access information otherwise not readily available in
their environment (Conley Tyler & Bretherton, 2003; Hattotuwa, 2005). Nevertheless, the virtual
environment comes equipped with its own, unique hierarchies. The most obvious disadvantage of online
communication applies to those who do not have internet access or the appropriate hardware and software
for proficient communication (Conley Tyler & Bretherton, 2003). The gap, between those with access to
sophisticated technology and those without, is commonly referred to as the digital divide and is of concern
when wishing to market the internet as a global communication system, rather than just a tool for the
technologically elite (Wahab, 2005). Among those who have access to online communication such as chat
rooms, new hierarchies are formed according to internet connection speed or typing skills, with higher levels
of speed earning higher status. The impact of online hierarchies can be reduced by website providers as well
as individual communicators. Website providers need to consider the scope of their potential customers and
design their systems in user-friendly and accessible ways, while individual communicators need to consider
the suitability of their chosen communication strategies. For example, chat is not going to be a successful
communication medium for a one-finger typist.
Synchrony Bias
Synchrony bias occurs when one person sends an email and expects that its receiver will respond
immediately. If this presumption is not fulfilled, the sender may feel that they are being ignored, resulting in
increased uncertainty and negativity. Once again, this relates to perceptions of decreased control of ones
social environment due to the inability to see what the other person is doing. However, technology is good at

keeping up with consumer concerns, and most email programs come equipped with options such as notifying
the sender once the receiver has read their email. In situations where a synchronicity cannot be tolerated,
online options such as chat and instant messenger may prove the preferred communication medium.
Entertainment
It is another popular reason why many people prefer to surf the Internet. You can download games
and music instead of going out of your comfort zone to get the latest and the hottest game or CD. There are
numerous games that can be downloaded for free. The industry of online gaming has grown drastically.
Also, some of the celebrity websites are some of the uses people do. Like viewing their twitters or Myspace
pages. Even celebrities are using the Internet effectively to connect with their fans.

Social Networking
It also plays a major role in cyberspace. One cannot imagine an online life without Facebook or
Twitter. Social networking has become so popular amongst youth that it might one day replace physical
networking. It has evolved as a great medium to connect with millions of people with similar interests. Apart
from finding long-lost friends, you can also look for job, business opportunities on forums, communities etc.
Besides, there are chat rooms where users can meet new and interesting people. Some of them may even end
up finding their life partners.
Theft of Personal Information
Some disadvantages may be theft of personal information, spamming, and virus threats. If you use
the Internet for online banking, social networking or other services, you may risk a theft to your personal
information such as name, address, credit card number etc. Unscrupulous people can access this information
through unsecured connections or by planting software and then use your personal details for their benefit.
Needless to say, this may land you in serious trouble.
Spamming
It refers to sending unwanted e-mails in bulk, which provide no purpose and needlessly obstruct the
entire system. Such illegal activities can be very frustrating for you as it makes your Internet slower and less
reliable. Internet users are often plagued by virus attacks on their systems. Virus programs are a head

headache and may get activated if you click a harmless link. Computers connected to the Internet are very
prone to targeted virus attacks and may end up crashing.
Conclusion
The disadvantages outweigh the advantages more because of the security and dangers that is entitles
within. You never know who is accessing your personal information and what they will do with it.

References
Berman, P. S. (2000). Cyberspace and the State Action Debate: The Cultural Value of Applying
Constitutional Norms to 'Private'Regulation.University of Colorado Law Review, 71(4).
Easterbrook, F. H. (1996). Cyberspace and the Law of the Horse. U. Chi. Legal F., 207
Gresham Jr, J. L. (1994). From Invisible College to Cyberspace College: Computer Conferencing and the
Transformation of Informal Scholarly Communication Networks. Interpersonal Computing and Technology
Journal,2(4), 37-52.
O'Donnell, J. J. (1998). Avatars of the word: from papyrus to cyberspace. Harvard University Press.