CYBERSPACE
Defined by Wikipedia, as the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.
First we subscribed to an internet server, so a world of information was at our fingertips. No more dusty tome’s in the library to page through and take notes. Now all we have to do is google a subject, find the info we want, select print and with the clickity clack of the printer the information appears on our desk.
Next came email, messages flew through the air between computers, sorted out via an internet server. Most messages found their recipients but some are forever lost in the giant cyberspace. For me email was not always reliable, many times after sending a message I would pick up the trusty old telephone, place a call and inquire if my email had been received? Something called “Forwards” found their way into the world of email and seemed to be a new way for many people to communicate. It is possible to send words of wisdom, comic graphics, or political and religious propaganda to hundreds of people by hitting the return or enter key. Photo’s could be sent to families of a newborn baby, a wedding, graduation or other special event. We no longer had to take a photo, have it developed, address an envelope and send it by snail mail. Every thing was instant.
My family used email but we still resorted to the telephone, because the sound of a loved ones voice can’t be replaced by the typed word. I think only by going back to the hand written word in letter form would you get the warm loving feel of a real voice.
I seem to be getting off the subject here, so back to Cyberspace. New venues have opened up, and now we have chats. By opening up our chat line, my kids and I can send instant messages from one computer to the other, keying and sending, as fast as one can and a message pops up on the computer screen. But are you ready for this? We now have video chat. Yes, now I open my chat line, click on the green camera icon wait for Bobi or Rusty to answer and they appear live on my screen, as I do on theirs. Now we can chat, as if we were all in the same room. See the expressions on each other face, look each other in the eye, all laugh at one time. As yet, we can’t touch or smell the other person, makes you wonder if that will be possible someday.
It seems to be a communication world. Now we have facebook, twitter, flikr, and probably many I’ve never heard of. These are all cyberspace sites where you can connect with friends via live chats, posting a message on a wall, displaying photos for all the world to see or just for your friends or friends of friends. It is extremely mind boggling. I think some of it is good, some not so and find you can waste an extreme amount of time that could be spent on things that are much more productive. But I do love chatting with my kids.
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