Real Space

I got an email from a friend who asked, “Where are you in real space?”.   He was asking where I lived.   I’m 50. People of my generation and older often ask that question when corresponding, or they want to ask and hesitate to cross an invisible line.   They want to be accepted into the Internet community and would prefer to use good netiquette if there are concrete rules about such things.   Fact is, we have a slightly different view of location than our junior ‘net citizens.

When I started to use the computer, I soon realized how much time I was spending and had a feeling of guilt.   What was I doing spending so much time out of my ‘real’ life?   Just fooling around at a computer screen, going anywhere on earth I wanted, learning anything I wanted to learn.   That was almost good enough.   Still there was a question, just out of reach, I wasn’t quite sure what it was.   What was making me feel guilty about spending so much time here?   That was it.   Here.   Is the Internet a real place?

The only thing we ever have that’s truly ours is our time.   If this wasn’t a real place then I didn’t belong here, my time was more valuable than that.   There was one main question to answer.   Over and above our physical needs; food, shelter and the work we have to do to obtain them, in what other worlds do we exist?   Is the intellectual world a real place?   The sciences, art, music, dance, philosophy, etc.; they’re intangible, not essential for survival.   But are they real worlds?   They exist in our intellects, but do they exist?

They do.   We have our lives there.   For many these places are their entire world, where they also make their living.   For some it’s any number of locations we visit to greater or lesser degrees according to our interests.   The Internet, too is a real place because we’re here.

So, I live in Central Texas, and on the Internet.

Lisa Miller