Go to bottom

Report 1

Cyberspace and Mind:

Identifying Some Characteristics of Virtual Reality:

The Computer-Mind Connection

Cyberspace and Mind
Table of Contents
Introduction: A Newbie to Cyberspace
What the Instructor Says: Cyber Meets Mind
What Generation 4 Says: Let's Cyber-Chat
What I am Saying: A Netizen's Perspective
What Others are Saying: Cyber Expertise On-Line
Final Considerations: Cyberspace Here to Stay

Introduction: A Newbie to Cyberspace

In my report, you will read about the exciting phenomenon of cyberspace and how it relates to the human mind. Cyberpsychology is the field of study which explores this relationship. I will provide various viewpoints on this topic by my instructor, past students of the generational curriculum, by publishers of cyberspace articles on the Internet, and, of course, myself. I hope you will gain a better understanding about virtual reality, hypertext technology, interactivity, and how the mind is utilized beyond its potential. I certainly did!

I am a "newbie" to the Internet. I did not have a clue about the cyberspace world until I signed up for this class. Researching for this report gave me no choice but to delve deeper into technology and alert an untouched dimension of my mind. I initially felt discouraged and resistant to becoming Internet literate because I was overwhelmed, but as my journey through cyberspace progressed, I realized the values and benefits to myself. Now, I am hooked on cyberspace, and want my mind to be exposed to even more technological stimulation. One needs to be liberal, sociable, patient, and willing to associate the mind and the computer in order to grasp their intense connection.

What the Instructor Says: Cyber Meets Mind

Cyberpsychology's Approach To Virtual Reality and Its Relation To Mind

In Dr. Leon James' article,"Cyberpsychology: Principles of Creating Virtual Presence," he mentions that "cyberspace is the virtual reality created through computers." Hypertext technology expands virtual reality. It is as simple as clicking on a link in somebody's home page, and, in an instant, being moved rapidly to another site. This enriches the experience of reading because there is greater access to people's thoughts, feelings, intentions, and creativity. Jumping from place to place allows netizens (Internet citizens) to independently navigate themselves to sites representing their unique preferences and interests. During the journey, they can congregate at a favorite site and form a virtual community.

The eagerness to communicate and to interact with others motivates people to delve deeper into cyberspace. There is an exchange taking place through the computer. One-to-one contact exists even though it is not face-to-face. Social activities such as chat groups, e-mail, newsgroups, and search engines are provided in cyberspace to stimulate interactivity. This boosts interpersonal communication to a higher level.

Cyberspace is virtual reality made possible when communication is facilitated and communities are organized. Virtual reality is more powerful than natural reality. What doesn't get used, does not exist according to Dr. James. The content of cyberspace is informational, rational, and not in physical space. Instead, cyberspace, like mind, is in virtual space. For instance, when a person clicks a link, one is granted the ability to see something and to go somewhere. The more links that are made available, the farther out you are from where you began. The destinations are endless.

The mind is not abstract, but cognitive/behavioral. Thoughts and feelings form the content of mind, but they are not physical objects. Therefore, thoughts and feelings are not in physical space, but in virtual space. The brain is in physical space because it is needed for the mind to exist. In other words, the brain and mind can be analogous to hardware and software, respectively.

The brain (hardware) operates in space and time. It is material and needs matter. The mind (software) is more complicated. It thinks, feels, and dreams. These don't take place in time or space. Dreams are an exception. Dreams do have space, but they are considered an extension of the mind, or, rather, a virtual space that is real, but not physical. The mind's function is power and meaning. Cyberspace is the mental world formed by physical elements (ie. Internet).

The concept of dualism is pertinent to understand the mind and brain in cyberspace. The mental (mind) and the physical (brain) correlate, but there is no cause-effect relationship. Each are in their own world. "The size of the brain is not related to the size or content of the mind," Dr. James mentioned. For example, generating many thoughts won't make the brain bigger. Thoughts and feelings never run out or disappear. They don't add weight to the brain. Thus, the mind and brain are considered separate by Dr. James. He supports the concept of dualism, a powerful theory, which he feels is better to operate on.

We all create one mind in cyberspace by forming all our minds together by interaction. Our "communal minds" are striving together and sharing the same goals, thereby strengthening the power of virtual reality. We are able to look into each other's minds to get insight of thoughts and feelings. Netizens become dependent on cyberspace in order to relate to one another. In turn, virtual communities or groups flourish.

The technique of virtual reality depends on de-limiting and interconnecting in specific ways. For example, being a member in a chat group. When a person navigates by following links, he/she is displacing himself or herself in cyberspace. Presence is created in virtual reality when a person clicks a link. This is where it all begins.

Three Significant Ideas in Cyberpsychology: Acquiring Cyberspace Citizenship, Hypertext Navigation, and The Virtual Book

Cyberspace Citizenship

As computer technology progresses and becomes more refined in modern society, it is essential to be computer literate. Mastering a sophisticated skill like on-line networking is important like being able to write and talk. Feeling intimidated usually prevents a person from learning the computer. The individual may feel too overwhelmed or pressured to know it all in one seating. However, it might be reassuring to realize that learning never ceases. It is a life-long endeavor. Particularly concerning computers, one is a perpetual novice because as cyberspace expands by incorporating more and more of our thoughts and feelings there will always be something else to learn. This is an important concept because to accept this reality about yourself will hopefully help you to overcome resistance, confusion, and opposition in order to explore the phenomenon of cyberspace. A feeling of willingness to learn in cyberspace can evolve if a person is patient to learn, can see the benefits to the self, explores interests, and can see the value to the self, or have a sense of "personalization" during the process.

Being labeled a life-long novice in cyberspace may be distressing for some people. Acquiring skills to navigate and to construct virtual reality platforms that are attractive and interesting enough for visitors could produce cyberstress. One would display symptoms of technophobia and resistance to information seeking. For instance, having disinterest in educating yourself by not taking the initiative to read instructional guides or pamphlets; procrastinating to avoid on-line tasks, prolonging ignorance because you won't ask for help, and feeling dissatisfied, helpless, and low in self-esteem.

Signing up for Dr. James' course is an effective method to overcome technophobia because the generational curriculum is utilized. Being a member of the fifth generation, I am part of a community classroom. My classmates and I are building upon the work of past generations by creating new hypertext pathways and expanding on cyberspace topics more indepthly. In essence, a virtual super-document is continually growing bigger in size and interconnectivity. Dr. James says that "being part of something real, something virtually permanent, sets a social environment that is motivating and empowering." He makes an accurate statement in his article because it is exciting to keep the generational tradition alive. I am an official Internet publisher, contributor, and fellow netizen in cyberspace.

Dr. James' students from past generations mentioned in their published reports that they experienced similar feelings of frustrations, anxieties, confusions, and doubts when adjusting to be cyberspace citizens. This was reassuring and a relief because I encounter these feelings myself off and on. It was comforting to know that these are "normal" feelings. The challenge and experience to explore cyberspace are worth overcoming resistance and to finally succeed.

Hypertext Navigation

Hypertext is an extra-dimension, or, rather, the fourth dimension on-line to interconnect pieces of text. Clicking on links with the mouse arrow rapidly moves you to other text pages. Hypertext is a peculiar property of the World Wide Web. Without hypertext, it would be an unexciting library catalog. Hypertext is a gateway to cyberspace. We have automatic access. There is no distance, no walls, no limitations, no laws, and no constraints.

With links continually being created in cyberspace, traffic has to be regulated through URL locations. URL stands for universal resource locators. Information can be accessed on the URL with an Internet address. Search engines like Yahoo and WebCrawler are helpful since inputting a word or words of interested topics produces an address if it is not known beforehand. The Internet is like a huge worldwide directory. One day, everyone will be hooked up with computers. Telephone books, checks, what have you, will become obsolete. All the payments and information needed will be transacted through the computer. Finding a long-lost friend or paying an electricity bill will be done with just a few clicks.

By creating my home page, I am contributing to the building of a virtual cyber-community. Visitors who will access my links by clicking on them will engage in a joint activity since there is mutual interest and intention to explore further. My visitor is initiating contact by traveling the virtual highway between his/her location to my location. It is important to understand hypertext technology because the Internet is globalizing.

Why call it hypertext navigation though? When we think of navigation, boats, planes, and ships come to mind. Not computers. However, navigating one's path through cyberspace allows the individual to determine one's position, distance, and course in cyberspace. This is navigation! More choices are made available to us when we decide what directions we want to go in cyberspace. Many ways, not one way, exist when utilizing hypertext technology.

The Virtual Book

This is an interesting idea since the virtual book begins the journey for a netizen to plunge deeper into cyberspace. It is a navigation vehicle. Guidance is necessary to navigate to sites of interest. Therefore, a table of contents on a home page initiates exploration. It is made up of an accumulation of hypertext links to introduce the virtual book since it really does not exist physically. Dr. James says "hypertext is a virtual electronic library without walls, without limits, uncatalogable, forever growing as a representation of the communal mind." He also mentions that no one claims the "virtual book" because again it only exists in virtual reality. Like a book , a virtual book can have many authors. Also, when there are articles you want to bookmark, they could be considered chapters of a virtual book.

Appearance, content, and access are three basic properties for constructing cyberspace objects. "Interconnectivity is access, access is visibility, which establishes virtual reality," says Dr. James. People who are novices to cyberspace may focus on site appearance as being the most significant in achieving virtual presence. Jazzy, colorful, and enticing pages may be created, but if they are not visited, then they do not exist.

What Generation 4 Says: Let's Cyber-Chat

For indepth reporting about cyberpsychology and the mind, I chose articles written by Carol Ohta, Jami Kaneshiro, and Michelle Alonzo who were students in Generation 4.

Carol Ohta's Report 4

Carol says in her report that cyberpsychology is about the mind accessing information from a computer by incorporating your thoughts, feelings, motivation, emotions, and visualization. A conscious mind is needed to motivate a person in initiating a task on the Internet. However, a subconscious mind creates the atmosphere as to what you want to visualize and experience. To be understood and known to others, an identity is important. Some people use assumed identities to be anonymous, to hide their true selves, or to experience being the opposite gender.

Carol mentions how significant spirituality is since it "stems from your actions and visualizations of what you want to see, view, experience, and witness as you journey through cyberspace." Spirituality involves the whole person, feelings, emotions, and thoughts. You are understood as a "cyberspace being instead of a human being outside of cyberspace." Waiting for a site to upload may discourage exploration or it may entice you to see what all the mystery is about when the graphics and hypertext links do finally show up. This is your spirituality of mind in cyberspace.

"Cyberpsychology on the Web is to understand what makes people addicted and attracted to the Web itself," Carol says. Your mood will affect how you view and understand the Internet. If you are exhausted and impatient, tasks may seem tedious and annoying. You may take certain sites for granted if you are undecided about what you are looking for. The sites might seem disorganized.

Carol's views on virtual reality relate to those of Dr. James. Both agree that virtual reality exists in cyberspace (the computer) world and not in physical space (the real world). You create the settings and atmosphere of your desires. You are welcoming others into your virtual reality. Creativity is unlimited in cyberspace.

The relationship between the mind and cyberspace is a dual process. Your virtual reality can not be created or visualized unless your mind, imagination, and spirituality "creates an atmosphere that you will be happy and satisfied with when you visit your site," expresses Carol. The computer provides the technology to gain insight of other people's thoughts, feelings, and creativity.

According to Dr. James, "interests and intentions define and reveal mind or spirit." So, Carol feels that the spiritual act of clicking navigates you through sites which make you realize what you liked or disliked.

Jami Kaneshiro's Report 4

Jami's ideas are similar to those of Dr. James concerning the relation between cyberspace and mind. In her report about cyberpsychology, she mentions that "cyberspace is experienced in a virtual reality with actual communities and interactions." The emotions and feelings of a person will determine which sites are visited. Virtual presence at a cyberspace site after clicking on a link creates interactivity with others. Dr. James supports this idea. The mind creates the phenomenon of cyberspace. The mind motivates one to make links and participate in virtual communities. Jami says, "Communities are created through the mind, by what it is interested in and what it is motivated by."

Cyberpsychology is a current field that is becoming more recognized because it relates to so many people. For instance, psychologists would be the most interested in cyberpsychology since they study how computers and mind/behavior interact. Cyberpsychology will continue to be part of life because there is so much to be explored.

Virtual reality is a relatively modern concept in cyberpsychology. As Dr. James says, "Virtual reality is the creation of cyberspace. Though not physical, virtual reality is accessible and real, but in an artificial format. Dr. James mentions in his article that virtual reality is the interactivity that takes place in cyber-communities. It is created by the minds of the people who access and interact with cyberspace. By utilizing such features as the search engines, chat groups, or e-mail on the Internet, people become members of cyberspace. A virtual presence is created because communication is taking place. Everything is real, but not required to be physical.

Virtual presence begins with a click on a link. This is a spiritual act because clicking "is an extension of the mind which comes from the human spirit," Jami says. Interests and intentions of a person are reflected. Dr. James mentions in his article that "not clicking is a moral act." A choice or judgment is being made when refusing to click a link. This reflects your spirit.

Michelle Alonzo's Report 4

Interaction is occurring so much in cyberspace. Thus, Michelle says in her report on cyberpsychology that cyberspace may even replace face-to-face interaction altogether. She states a point Dr. James mentioned in his article concerning the difficulty one may have keeping up with technology. One may display symptoms of technophobia- resistance and avoidance behaviors. A person should be prepared when entering the cyberspace world. Michelle feels that there could be a possibility of getting hooked or addicted to it. Cyberspace may occupy your whole life.

Michelle defines cyberpsychology as "the study of the relationship between the mind and the computer in a mental environment." Mind is stimulated by keeping it informed with technological developments in cyberspace. One should grasp the concept of connecting the mind with others to form virtual communities since communication is facilitated in this way. One is still going to be unique. Sharing with others does not make one less unique.

Michelle mentioned how she does not understand why some people choose to disguise their identity. They want to emphasize their anonymity perhaps. Maybe it is easier to assume an opposite gender or a different name. You are keeping yourself possibly less vulnerable and more unknown. I'm sure Michelle would agree.

Cyberpsychology incorporates a mind and a computer. Mind is able to handle endless information and to be open to anything you want to affect it. One needs to communicate with another by establishing a connection with the same goals in mind. This will enable one to progress through cyberspace. "Connection need not be with a physical person," says Michelle. Linking on to a Page is a connection in itself and communication evolves when, for example, you send an e-mail message. Making a connection and proceeding to interact is very important.

To enter cyberspace, a person has to have interest in order to make sense and meaning of their experiences. An open mind is essential Michelle believes. "If one enters cyberspace without an open mind, then they will have missed some of the best topics that the Internet has to offer." She recommends having an open mind especially when reading Dr. James' article on cyberpsychology because then you will gain insight to his point of view. Also, you may gain another perspective probably not thought of before.

Cyberspace and mind help humans to feel, think, and show emotion. Articles which are inaccessible by touch can still provoke a response emotionally. One is made to think, ponder, and feel intensely about a topic perhaps.

Personality, thoughts, and actions are formed by what is accessed and by one being involved with the Internet. A person has the decision to avoid certain sites or may stereotype because of the appearance of articles. "That is why cyberpsychology is so important. We need to understand exactly how the Internet and cyberspace are affecting users because it is rapidly becoming the main way of communicating with others."

What I Am Saying: A Netizen's Perspective

After researching the views of my instructor and of the three students from Generation 4, I came to a decision to stress the importance of virtual communities as a working hypothesis for myself. This concept is very essential in cyberpsychology because virtual communities sustain interactivity in cyberspace. This can not be emphasized enough.

Joint focus groups strengthen societal strategies to produce virtual reality. An individual has a group available to be a member in. Once a group is chosen, virtual reality can proceed to strive due to interactivity. Individual minds form together as one to create a "communal mind." I understood how essential "togetherness" is when on-line after summarizing Dr. James' views. I did not appreciate this concept until after my investigation.

For communication to be facilitated communally, an individual must first have the will of self, or, rather, of mind. Orientation to a group depends on the quality of interaction. As Dr. James says in his article about spiritual psychology, "Navigation laws in communal mind force you into alignment with your activity." I agree with this. In virtual reality, navigation is through intention, desire, unity, and togetherness. Again, striving together creates virtual reality. Individuals sharing their efforts, interests, actions, and feelings build group cohesiveness. This helps one to prepare for their cyberspace adventure.

A group of people who depend on cyberspace to relate together will form a virtual community. My class distribution list, chat groups, and newsgroups are a few examples of this idea. We all create one mind in cyberspace by forming all our minds together by interaction.

The concept of virtual communities in cyberspace wasn't as important to me as compared to now. Before, I would sit in front of the computer terminal, and it would not cross my mind that there were other people reaching out to communicate. It was simple to make the computer a personal possession and to not consider its capabilities, or, rather, its very essence to be used by others as well at the same time. Community is what makes cyberspace what it is. I realize that now.

After discussing my views with others, I felt there was an overall agreement about the powerful connection between mind and cyberspace. We understood how miraculous the mind's capabilities truly are when it is explored beyond its ordinary use. A higher level of mind's potential is activated when creativity, feelings, and emotions are stimulated to create multi-media images and interactivity with other netizens. The fellow classmates and friends who listened to my views on cyberspace and mind had positive reactions. We agreed that we all contribute to the existence of cyberspace because it is our participation that sustains it. Without socialization, or, rather, community, it would not be possible to delve deeper into cyberspace. Our communal minds merging into one mind makes cyberspace. Our ideas, interests, intentions, and motivations determine how far cyberspace will progress. Therefore, these views supported my working hypothesis.

What Others Are Saying: Cyber Experts On-Line

To browse for Web and Usenet articles which related to my working hypothesis about virtual communities being important for sustaining cyberspace, I used the Yahoo and InfoSeek search engines. They seemed the most informative and reliable when it came to cyberpsychology topics. I was able to be very general in my search. For instance, I typed cyberpsychologyat one time to see what Yahoo could offer. I was pleased to see numerous articles posted. They were mostly articles written by Dr. James' prior generations. However, I found two particular Web articles of interest . One was titled"Making Virtual Communities Work"by John Suler. The other article,"The Psychology of Cyberspace,"was by Storm A. King.

The Infoseek search engine enabled me to browse for some newsgroup articles since it seemed to have the most variety. One article in particular called "Objectivism/Libertarianism versus Neo-Tech in Cyberspace" caught my eye.

"Making Virtual Communities Work" by John Suler

This article was interesting to me because it emphasized effective ways virtual communities can strive. Suler lists beneficial advice to ensure the survival of them in cyberspace. A few principles he mentions are as follows:

*Use software which promotes good discussions

*When on-line, it should be easy to locate other groups especially those that are already in progress

*Encourage discussion groups

*Let communities develop spontaneously without restrictions

"The Psychology of Cyberspace" by Storm A. King

I support what he mentions in his article about interactivity and communities. The computer is a technological phenomenon that has boosted expression, creativity, and interpersonal relationships. People from all facets of life reach out to communicate. King says, "Our need for affiliation transcends the intellectual nature of the medium, and emotional connections are made." This is true because people can argue, criticize, fall in "cyberlove," or pour their hearts out. Being vulnerable is less of threat when not interacting face-to-face. People are encouraged, rewarded, and reinforced when talking to others in cyberspace. It can be addicting. One may say too much. As King puts it, "The boundaries between what is private and what is public knowledge are becoming blurred."

"Objectivism/Libertarianism versus Neo-Tech in Cyberspace" from mattkeys@netcom.com

This newsgroup article has a unique view about the concept of virtual communities. It concerns reflecting on the daily activity on Usenet (cyberspace newsgroups). Audiences are small and static probably because there is quite a bit of criticism going on. This is an important point because it shows how people can be turned off from participating in a joint group activity. People will go elsewhere and form communities they are comfortable being members in.

Final Considerations: Cyberspace Here to Stay

A joint focus, which is a crucial mind process to create virtual reality, is achieved when people group together and become an audience. Virtual reality zones suit diverse groups of people who gather together to watch or participate in interested games or story-telling. Participants may assume a false identity when socializing. This is very common. Maybe, people feel open to express and respond even more.

Mutual interest in an activity, intention, and communal concerns about a subject of discussion produce virtual communities, which in turn creates virtual reality. All this exists in the mind. When individuals choose particular hypertext links, they are expressing their state of mind. Thus, they are creating cyberspace zones and mass traffic patterns.

Evidence obtained from all sources (instructor, G4a students, and articles) strengthens my view that virtual communities are made possible with interactivity in cyberspace. Without joint effort, communication would not be facilitated. It is good to note that participating with an open mind will allow greater joint activity. We all come from different walks of lives. We have the freedom to cross virtual borders to areas of cyberspace that are enticing, attractive, absorbing, and pleasing to the mind. Cyberspace is democratic, liberal, and includes us all regardless of gender, race, or beliefs. There is something for everyone in cyberspace.

The future of cyberspace is being constructed and shaped everytime a person goes on-line. A mass phenomena has been evolving and will continue forever more. This is why it is important for people to overcome their resistance and challenge themselves to become computer literate. To keep up with our cyber-tech civilization, one has to learn how to interact on-line. There is so much to be discovered. With just a few clicks, a person can explore any topic. There is no reason why we should be ignorant of current events, historical figures, the human body, or any subject because information is accessible and available. As time goes by, the generations should not be getting dumber, but smarter. There is no excuse to be uninformed unless a person does not want to embrace what technology generously offers. Go forth and explore cyberspace.

Finally, cyberspace can be considered to be related to spirit as well as mind. When I say spirit, I am not implying religion. Instead, I am referring to what Dr. James said of spirituality being the non-physical function we engage in. Clicking on a link is a spiritual act for instance. Clicking creates communal mind in virtual reality under the influence of interests, intentions, and feelings. Mind is used to make decisions, or, rather, moral decisions on-line. Self-witnessing one's interests and intentions creates the opportunity for moral self-assessment, for a change of heart, and for a new direction in living and becoming. You have the free will to explore or reject certain sites. The more interesting a topic is, the more you want to explore it. Netiquette (Internet etiquette) is encouraged in cyberspace. A person's spirit will determine conduct in cyberspace. Manners and courtesy is essential when going on-line in order to maintain the use of the Internet effectively. People will want to communicate openly if their cyberspace zone is non-judgmental or productive in some way. Cyberspace is an invaluable way to exchange ideas.

Overall, cyberspace is within our reach. It is up to you to explore its exhilarating world. So, put your cybernaut helmets on and join the adventure our ancestors could only dream about. Cyberspace is here to stay!

My Home Page Generational Topics Dr. James' Home Page My Class Home Page E-mail me
Report 2 G5 Summaries
Go to the top