Cyberspace

Cyberspace refers to the online world that is formed by computer systems and networks. The word was coined by author William Gibson in his science fiction novel Neuromancer. It originated in the mid-1980s to define the virtual world that exists due to the advent of the Internet, which in its earliest form was a community that shared ideas and information.

Increasing interest in cyberspace has given way to a plethora of new ideas and related jargon. The term cyber is used as a prefix with increasing regularity. Cybergeography, for instance, is known as the study of the spatial nature of computer communications networks, or the geography of cyberspace. Cyberpsychology, the study of the psychological impact of cyberspace, also is becoming popular as the number of World Wide Web surfers increases.

One of the most significant additions to cyberspace has been e-commerce. With technological advances, the business world has been able to apply traditional brick-and-mortar ideas to the realm of cyberspace. Advocates of the early days of the Internet feel that e-commerce has had a negative effect on the integrity of cyberspace, while others argue that the growth of e-commerce in cyberspace is crucial to economic development. Originally used as a forum for exchanging information and ideas, cyberspace has become a virtual marketplace where a Web surfer can trade stocks, buy just about anything, take care of banking needs, and even apply for home loans.

The rising popularity of e-commerce has made it nearly impossible to go online and enter cyberspace without encountering a barrage of advertising and commerce information. For instance, when the search engine Yahoo! was first introduced, no shopping links appeared on its home page. By the early 2000s, this had changed. Web surfers using the site to search for information saw a list of online stores pop up, offering products related to their search. From November to mid-December 2000, online spending more than doubled over the same time period in the previous year, reaching $8.7 billion. These numbers are predicted to increase dramatically in coming years.

To protect the growing numbers of online consumers and merchants, e-commerce legislation known as cyberlaw has emerged. Similar to laws in the real world, cyberlaw deals with topics such as the protection of copyrights, business transactions, electronic payment systems, and privacy. This type legislation continues to develop in response to the evolution of cyberspace, commercial and otherwise.