Cyberspace Wants Their Own Space

When I went through the article "A Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace" I was quite moved. It was real, it was exciting, there was danger and almost every element provided in an action thriller movie. The internet is such an amazing and wonderful thing!

From what I gathered from the article - the reality and the virtual is at some sort of war. The non-virtual world is hungry for power, is greedy for profit and unaware how much danger they're putting the two worlds in. We have social entities that are in grave danger, yet march on with our own madness. We do not seek to find the solutions in our own problems, but we think by showing our power and being a bully to a perfect and peaceful world that is cyberspace, thinking that our solutions lie out there somewhere instead of ourselves.

The article, from what I understand says that it is willing to help us if we didn't just simply gate-crash the party and try to be the boss. The virtual world has solutions to offer, but we must take the initiative and humble ourselves to work in accordance to their success. I believe that for anything great to happen and to last, one has to start from the grassroot level. Like a mighty tree can only withstand bad times with a foundation and roots set deep.

For our world to prosper and their world to remain in peace - we can adapt some of their ideas and make it work our own way. No peace can ever be attained by calling war, even if for the best of motives. We must first respect the beauty of cyberspace and not act for personal gain.

Here are the 5 points that make cyberspace thick, and we must always keep it that way! :) Here goes!

1. No Big Boss That Hides and Only Appears When He Wants You Terminated (No Central Authority)

In short, there is no higher power that monopolizes everything that happens in the cyberworld. We are free to do whatever we fancy, and remember, not to be overboard!

"We are creating a world that may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force... or station of birth."

2. Two plus Two is Four and That's Not The Only Way To Do It (Different rules, Different Way of Doing Things)

The point here is to say that in the cyberworld, there isn't such thing as fixed rules or a uniform code. There isn't one way to just doing things, and this must be remembered at all times for things to go on smoothly and without force.

"Your legal concepts of property, expression, identity, movement, and context do not apply to us. They are all based on matter, and there is no matter here."

3. A New Place, a new way of Living and Dealing with Things (Internet Culture)

With internet being more that just a tool for communication and information, it has become a whole new network that is digital and virtual. With that being said, the way we approach this is a whole new thing and cannot be interpreted as what we are used to in our non-virtual world.

"We are forming our own Social Contract. This governance will arise according to the conditions of our world, not yours. Our world is different."

4. The Individual, The Institution & The Community (Transactions & Relationships)

Despite our vast differences, we are interconnected, if not directly connected like in any networks. We no longer are faced the the limitations of physical space and distance anymore. As long as you have access to internet, the whole world is your friend. It's a connector that starts from now and ends at never :)

"Cyberspace consists of transactions, relationships, and thought itself, arrayed like a standing wave in the web of our communications. Ours is a world that is both everywhere and nowhere but it is not where bodies live."

5. What you see is not necessarily what you get (Virtual Identity)

With everything done online and digitally, one can easily be mistaken by perception from off the screen and what is really, real. It has the ability for you to be a completely new person, or a better improved version of yourself and no one will ever truly know it except you. It's a persona that doesn't allow room for discrimination and prejudice.

"We are creating a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity".

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Fascinating thing this Internet, isn't it? It's so unique and definitely one of its kind to deserve its own set of rules and guidelines! With all 5 points mentioned above, it has improved our lives someway or another. It has opened up our eyes to new things and allowed us to contribute to the world we live in. It's a beautiful place of opportunities that never cease to stop until it crashes down. Sadly, the boundless blessing that is internet is constantly under threat of those who seek for more than they ever need.

It is up to us, no matter how big, or small a consumer of the cyberspace to make sure that we play our part in preserving the internet that we know it today. We also must remember to give back what we have taken, and that is we must always contribute in our own ways for the peace and protection of the cyberspace - where limitless opportunity and improvement await.