What term is used to describe a virtual reality that is created by computer systems where people interact online?

What Does Cyberspace Mean?

Cyberspace refers to the virtual computer world, and more specifically, an electronic medium that is used to facilitate online communication. Cyberspace typically involves a large computer network made up of many worldwide computer subnetworks that employ TCP/IP protocol to aid in communication and data exchange activities.

Cyberspace's core feature is an interactive and virtual environment for a broad range of participants.

In the common IT lexicon, any system that has a significant user base or even a well-designed interface can be thought to be “cyberspace.”

Techopedia Explains Cyberspace

Cyberspace allows users to share information, interact, swap ideas, play games, engage in discussions or social forums, conduct business and create intuitive media, among many other activities.

The term cyberspace was initially introduced by William Gibson in his 1984 book, Neuromancer. Gibson criticized the term in later years, calling it “evocative and essentially meaningless.” Nevertheless, the term is still widely used to describe any facility or feature that is linked to the Internet. People use the term to describe all sorts of virtual interfaces that create digital realities.

More on Cyberspace

In many key ways, cyberspace is what human societies make of it.

One way to talk about cyberspace is related to the use of the global Internet for diverse purposes, from commerce to entertainment. Wherever stakeholders set up virtual meeting spaces, we see the cyberspace existing. Wherever the Internet is used, you could say, that creates a cyberspace. The prolific use of both desktop computers and smartphones to access the Internet means that, in a practical (yet somewhat theoretical) sense, the cyberspace is growing.

Another prime example of cyberspace is the online gaming platforms advertised as massive online player ecosystems. These large communities, playing all together, create their own cyberspace worlds that exist only in the digital realm, and not in the physical world, sometimes nicknamed the “meatspace.”

To really consider what cyberspace means and what it is, consider what happens when thousands of people, who may have gathered together in physical rooms in the past to play a game, do it instead by each looking into a device from remote locations. As gaming operators dress up the interface to make it attractive and appealing, they are, in a sense, bringing interior design to the cyberspace.

In fact, gaming as an example, as well as streaming video, shows what our societies have largely chosen to do with the cyberspace as a whole. According to many IT specialists and experts, including F. Randall Farmer and Chip Morningstar, cyberspace has gained popularity as a medium for social interaction, rather than its technical execution and implementation. This sheds light on how societies have chosen to create cyberspace.

Theoretically, the same human societies could create other kinds of cyberspace—technical realms in which digital objects are created, dimensioned and evaluated in technical ways. For example, cyberspaces where language translation happens automatically in the blink of an eye or cyberspaces involving full-scale visual inputs that can be rendered on a 10-foot wall

In the end, it seems that the cyberspaces that we have created are pretty conformist and one-dimensional, relative to what could exist. In that sense, cyberspace is always evolving, and promises to be more diverse in the years to come.

What Does Virtual World Mean?

A virtual world is a computer-based online community environment that is designed and shared by individuals so that they can interact in a custom-built, simulated world. Users interact with each other in this simulated world using text-based, two-dimensional or three-dimensional graphical models called avatars. Avatars are graphically rendered using computer graphics imaging (CGI) or any other rendering technology. Individuals control their avatars using input devices like the keyboard, mouse and other specially designed command and simulation gadgets. Today's virtual worlds are purpose-built for entertainment, social, educational, training and various other purposes.

All virtual worlds possess the qualities of persistence and interactivity. This enables the users to explore the inherent benefits of socialization and allows them to study human nature and users' abilities.

A virtual world may also be called a digital world.

Techopedia Explains Virtual World

Initially, virtual worlds were limited to text and document sharing such as in chat rooms and through conferencing systems. With the advancement in two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics rendering technologies, graphical models called avatars became the hallmark of virtual worlds. Today, virtual worlds depict a world very similar to reality, with real-world rules and real-time actions and communications. Avatars are real-world or fictionally adapted personalized characters that depict humans, pets or other imaginary characters that inhabit virtual worlds. Today's avatars are three-dimensional, interactive icons that exist in realistic virtual worlds.

There are two types of virtual worlds:

• Entertainment-Based: The launch of multiplayer 3-D games in the 1990s gave birth to new advancements in interactive virtual worlds. In this category of virtual worlds, users play games through their avatars. These virtual worlds are strongly influenced by fantasy, science fiction, and anime genres of literature and film. Entertainment-based virtual worlds represents the majority of virtual worlds in existence today.
• Social Interaction-Based: Focuses on user interaction, education and training through simulated worlds. These worlds offer a more open-ended experience such as exploring landscapes, playing adventurous sports, socializing with communities, taking part in political debates or experiments, attending educational sessions, training in a simulated environment and countless other virtual possibilities. Although younger than gaming worlds, these social virtual worlds are quickly gaining popularity, particularly in educational, political, commercial and military organizations.

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