Cyber-Democracy and Cyber-Hegemony

Cyber-democracy and Cyber-hegemony

The reading tackled the emergence and the varying meanings of the term "cyberspace", and its impact to the different aspects of the society. From being a "hollow" term, several meanings were filled up by different people from the different fields of discipline, from the academic, to the commercial and social.

One meaning of cyberspace, according to the reading, connote "a world of infinite possibilities" that enables data to be gathered and stored (and eventually increase meaning as they are circulated). Another significant point about cyberspace in the reading is the alchemic character of cyberspace. Depending on what context, the meaning of cyberspace is "forever dissolving, reconstituting, cyclically distilling and recombining."

The early history of computer was also discussed, as it was Charles Babbage's' idea that the creation of a calculating engine -the computer, could ultimately "compute away some of the society's ills through mathematics". The pros and cons of cyber space were also stated. According to the reading, the establishment of cyberspace contributed to the field of medicine, art and science; but the instant transmission "weakens" us, as it makes "us less than we were and open to surveillance, disenfranchisement, and manipulation." In the first and second world war, it was also evident that the opposing powers utilized the cyberspace to maintain their interests: accurate warfare, surveillance and communications. On the other hand, cyberspace can also be a venue for people's liberation. As Cedric Price said, it is through the cyberspace that people can be liberated from the old obsolete ideas (that are continued to be consumed by the majority).

Relating this reading to the past discussions we had in class, I can say that cyber space, considering it to be a relatively new venue for meaning making, initially started as counter-hegemonic but is now on its way towards cyber-hegemony. I very much agree to the reading that cyberspace provides people to participate to meaning-making. Opening the discourse is very much possible to cyberspace, but considering our society, only those who have access to the internet can participate. I think that most people online whose intent is serious meaning-making are those with vested interests (that are circulated and regulated in the offline world) that they would still want to maintain in the online world or the cyberspace.

Aside from those who are advantaged on having access to the internet, I think that hegemony still applies on the cyberspace as