How the Merging of Cyberspace and Real Space is Changing us (into cyborgs) (original) (raw)

2012, How the Merging of Cyberspace and Real Space is Changing us (into cyborgs)

"The times are changing and so are the people. This always was and always shall be. We are currently witnessing one of the biggest leaps in history in terms of changes in the social environment, influenced by the exponential development of information technology. Social space is changing fast, and with the growth of new media, new features are added to real space and people’s perception of it. What was once called cyberspace is slowly invading real physical space and so, by merging these two, the entire living environment is changing. This goes beyond just a slight shift in the perception of social and/or organizational changes in people’s life: it is a change in the way life is lived on a daily basis. This paper focuses on the changes people are facing in their everyday life, into the realm of the mediated world. It shows how, with the rapid development of informational and communication technologies, the cyberspace is merging with the real space, thus creating a new living environment which consequently changes people’s behaviour. Augmented reality becomes the real reality and people are constantly living in a life-mix of the two worlds (analogue and digital), which are gradually becoming one. this research also presents a perspective on the future development of information and communication technologies, along with current improvements in the field which enabling this. This future is called the Internet of things, and presents a place where everyone and everything is constantly connected, updated, tracked down and located. Such a future depends not only on the technology but also on acceptance by people, so an overview of current changes in people’s behavior, bringing them closer to this acceptance, is presented. Finally, the research draws a parallel between some instances of human behavior in the wave of the new mediated environment and the characterising features of the cyborg definition."