**3. Cyberspace as a new existential dimension of man**

If a significant part of our life, for example, our visions and ideas, is reflected in cyberspace, then we can say it becomes a new extension of our life. If we daily spend a few hours in cyberspace, then the bond with our life will be very strong. Lohisse [8], points out that media (including cyberspace, as a communication channel for modern digital media—note by authors) are not mere tools that do their job only when we use them, but they expand and their effect grows. More specifically, this influence can be seen in the adaptation of our cognitive functions and abilities (attention, memory, imagination, thinking, etc.) to cyberspace communication. And this adaptation changes our existence. Our existence extends to a new dimension that is virtual in nature. The virtual dimension, or the cyberspace in which we communicate, thus becomes a new existential dimension of man.

The very first thing that will attract our attention when we study the phenomenon of cyberspace is its character. Paradoxically, we can describe cyberspace as a non-space place, as there is no 3D physical dimension in it. Despite this feature, we still regard it as a space, even though we mean it predominantly in a visual or audiovisual sense. Thus, this new technological space lies within a human, in the very mental dimension we use for constructing vision or ideas. The difference is in the fact that human's mental space is given biologically, while cyberspace is constructed technologically.

The second thing that may attract our attention in communication in cyberspace is the speed of communication. Communication is almost instant, typically with no delay. Besides this, there are no firm physical marks that could be used for distinguishing movement, which is something we need when we want to measure time. Immersed in cyberspace, we are not able to measure time. In order to do it, we need to step outside. Events in cyberspace resemble a dream in which we cannot say time. Cyberspace and dreams both share two features—no fixed points that could be used for measuring and no perspective for the observer. When we dream, we first need to wake up, only then we can measure the time spent. With new technology, for example, Google Glass or electronic lenses, leaving cyberspace would not be so easy because Google Glass, or let alone electronic lenses, would be quite an integrated part of the human body.

The speed of communication and absence of physical space in cyberspace eliminated linear or successive time. We could also call it simultaneous time, borrowing the term from a simultaneous exhibition in which the grand master plays multiple games of chess at a time with a number of players. The idea of linear or gradual time breaks up into a pattern of present events. Something similar happens also in communication in cyberspace, for example, when we surf the Internet [9].

Time and space are two basic coordinates of our life, marginalization or omission of which can greatly affect our life. According to I. Kant, time and space represent a priory aesthetical forms of consideration, the first and fundamental processing of impressions that we get through our senses. If this is changed, then there is a great chance that our everyday real life will get changed as well. Time and space will not be as important as they use to be. For example, a medieval man saw time as a gift; it meant a chance to fight for salvation. In the modern period, time might have meant a space for self-realization. Nowadays, influenced by cyberspace, time not only becomes "just now," but it is also empty. The result of time made present is seen in the youngest generation as a lack of interest in history, but also future, as these people live their lives more and more in chatrooms, on Facebook, sharing photographs, videos, and other similar experiences. In such a social space, information about the past but also future, about plans or vision, would feel very disruptive. Rankov [10], inspired by Lévy, comments that time (with tradition and culture) spreads into hypertext, which we read not linearly, but consecutively. In other words, information that was once spread is now stored in database or in cyberspace, where it is distributed, combined, and broken into chunks. Also, time is not the same as it was in the past. Despite the fact that everything speeds us and modern society suffers from chronic lack of time, we are killing the time more and more by surfing on the Internet, useless chatting, or sending emails.

Similarly to time, also space—or more precisely our ideas of space—have changed. We take space very differently from how we understood it in the past, for example, in the Middle Ages or Modern Period time. A man in the Middle Ages could learn about distance between, for example, Rome and Paris by actually walking or riding a horse from one place to another for 3 or 4 weeks. His experience of the distance would be equal to the trouble he went through during this journey. In the Modern Period, with the discovery of America sailing all over the globe, the idea of space was changed. Though our Earth was still huge, it was not limitless as it was a sphere. In the nineteenth and especially twentieth century, with development in modern transport and information technology, the Earth became even smaller. We can travel to the most distant places within hours, and when we use telecommunication technology, we can make this journey in an instant. Telecommunication technology (auditory and visual) eliminates physical dimension in space. We take this form of online communication as an absolutely standard service and do not realize the loss of real space.

Referring to I. Kant's epistemology, with aesthetic forms of outlook, such as time and space, also our category of thinking changes. Kant distinguishes 12 categories as an a priori matrix that contributes to our thinking. In more recent philosophy, influenced especially by L. Wittgenstein and M. Heidegger, a discovery was made—our thinking, including category pattern, is firmly bound to our language. This means we think and learn in the language that we communicate in. Spoken word is understood to be a privileged medium, mother of all media. However, it is not the only medium as we also use written word, printed word, and electronic media, including the Internet—which we generally use to enter cyberspace. If we then think with media, then each kind of media must affect the form or structure of our thinking. Lohisse [8] provided convincingly evidence on how thinking (collective mentality) was influenced by four types of media through the cultural history of mankind: spoken word, written word, printed word, and electronic media. According to him, spoken word was potent to draw and unite people deeply. The era of spoken word featured cyclic time and collective consciousness. This was broken with the beginning of written word. Writing, especially phonetic one, reorganized human thinking into a linear template, which also initiated a shift to

**19**

decades, they could describe reality.

*Cyberspace as a New Existential Dimension of Man DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88156*

testifies to change from abstract to image thinking.

linear understanding of time. Written word became a tool to divide the society that started to see the phenomenon of power and individuality. This trend was even more evident in the era of printed word, which separated the author and established a standardized text, fostered individuality of man and subject-object view, and also triggered the mass phenomenon. Lohisse sees electronic media, but specifically the Internet, as fundamentally different, changing our imagination and the way we think and learn. The Internet uses a technological language, and we have to adapt to this language in our communication. Our language will therefore be changing into a techno-language. Besides this, speed and amount of information will be shaping our thinking toward discontinuity, simplicity, and superficiality of content. On the other hand, the Internet might give us a chance to improve our skills to quickly respond to varying content that we find in cyberspace, which is something our predecessors would probably have a problem with. It is rather difficult to map how thinking of a modern man changes, but it becomes apparent when compared with people in history. N. Postman [11] offers an impressive example of a nineteenth century dispute between Lincoln and Douglas. They both were able to maintain their debate on an exceptionally high rhetorical level for long hours and keep their audience interested. They could still continue their debate after a longer break. Postman showed the contrast with television, which through often miss-matching images deforms abstractive thinking, once highly cultivated by printed word. Pravdová [12] points out that "it is enough when images, can be distinguished, in contrast to words, which need to be understood." A similar situation happens also in the era of the Internet. The cyberspace Internet favors image thinking, unconcentrated and not too continual logically. In the context of these changes, Sartori [13] points out that man changes anthropologically and *Homo sapiens* turns into *homo videns*, which

Communication in cyberspace triggers changes in understanding time, space, and structure of thinking. In order for us to communicate in cyberspace, we need new information technologies; these become an everyday part of our life. This is yet one more effect that cyberspace brings. Originally, modern information technologies were not mobile, just as the heavy computers we saw in the 1990s. With light and small notebook computers and presently also iPads and smartphones, this technology is easy to carry. They are part of our life not only at home but also in the streets, offices, and generally in any possible place that we go to. These modern devices that help us enter cyberspace are generally at hand. With Google Glasses, which do not require physical manipulation, cyberspace becomes somehow a part of the body. Google has a vision—such glasses could be transferred into electronic lenses. This would mean a very close bound between body and modern information technologies. With these communication changes, we start thinking about cyborgs, where technologies become a part of the human body. With everyday usage of smartphones or iPads and physical connection between them and the human body (they are at hand, in the pocket, etc.), we can start speaking of mental cyborgism because combining the human body and technologies happens at a mental level. However, if such technologies became a real part of the human body, it would mean real cyborgism, or direct connection of the human body and technology. We agree with R. Cenká and I. Lužák [14] that "technosphere is taking over biosphere" and that this trend will continue. This makes us wonder what will happen with human naturalness. Will we still be able to talk about the old human, or will it be a new kind of human? These questions might look like a sci-fi, but in a few years' time or

Another problem with identification with media is the one of cyberspace identifications with social groups or one's own avatar. It is not quite about what social group or what avatar it may be, but about the need to get somehow inside a

#### *Cyberspace as a New Existential Dimension of Man DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88156*

*Cyberspace*

breaks up into a pattern of present events. Something similar happens also in com-

Time and space are two basic coordinates of our life, marginalization or omission of which can greatly affect our life. According to I. Kant, time and space represent a priory aesthetical forms of consideration, the first and fundamental processing of impressions that we get through our senses. If this is changed, then there is a great chance that our everyday real life will get changed as well. Time and space will not be as important as they use to be. For example, a medieval man saw time as a gift; it meant a chance to fight for salvation. In the modern period, time might have meant a space for self-realization. Nowadays, influenced by cyberspace, time not only becomes "just now," but it is also empty. The result of time made present is seen in the youngest generation as a lack of interest in history, but also future, as these people live their lives more and more in chatrooms, on Facebook, sharing photographs, videos, and other similar experiences. In such a social space, information about the past but also future, about plans or vision, would feel very disruptive. Rankov [10], inspired by Lévy, comments that time (with tradition and culture) spreads into hypertext, which we read not linearly, but consecutively. In other words, information that was once spread is now stored in database or in cyberspace, where it is distributed, combined, and broken into chunks. Also, time is not the same as it was in the past. Despite the fact that everything speeds us and modern society suffers from chronic lack of time, we are killing the time more and

munication in cyberspace, for example, when we surf the Internet [9].

more by surfing on the Internet, useless chatting, or sending emails.

as an absolutely standard service and do not realize the loss of real space.

Similarly to time, also space—or more precisely our ideas of space—have changed. We take space very differently from how we understood it in the past, for example, in the Middle Ages or Modern Period time. A man in the Middle Ages could learn about distance between, for example, Rome and Paris by actually walking or riding a horse from one place to another for 3 or 4 weeks. His experience of the distance would be equal to the trouble he went through during this journey. In the Modern Period, with the discovery of America sailing all over the globe, the idea of space was changed. Though our Earth was still huge, it was not limitless as it was a sphere. In the nineteenth and especially twentieth century, with development in modern transport and information technology, the Earth became even smaller. We can travel to the most distant places within hours, and when we use telecommunication technology, we can make this journey in an instant. Telecommunication technology (auditory and visual) eliminates physical dimension in space. We take this form of online communication

Referring to I. Kant's epistemology, with aesthetic forms of outlook, such as time and space, also our category of thinking changes. Kant distinguishes 12 categories as an a priori matrix that contributes to our thinking. In more recent philosophy, influenced especially by L. Wittgenstein and M. Heidegger, a discovery was made—our thinking, including category pattern, is firmly bound to our language. This means we think and learn in the language that we communicate in. Spoken word is understood to be a privileged medium, mother of all media. However, it is not the only medium as we also use written word, printed word, and electronic media, including the Internet—which we generally use to enter cyberspace. If we then think with media, then each kind of media must affect the form or structure of our thinking. Lohisse [8] provided convincingly evidence on how thinking (collective mentality) was influenced by four types of media through the cultural history of mankind: spoken word, written word, printed word, and electronic media. According to him, spoken word was potent to draw and unite people deeply. The era of spoken word featured cyclic time and collective consciousness. This was broken with the beginning of written word. Writing, especially phonetic one, reorganized human thinking into a linear template, which also initiated a shift to

**18**

linear understanding of time. Written word became a tool to divide the society that started to see the phenomenon of power and individuality. This trend was even more evident in the era of printed word, which separated the author and established a standardized text, fostered individuality of man and subject-object view, and also triggered the mass phenomenon. Lohisse sees electronic media, but specifically the Internet, as fundamentally different, changing our imagination and the way we think and learn. The Internet uses a technological language, and we have to adapt to this language in our communication. Our language will therefore be changing into a techno-language. Besides this, speed and amount of information will be shaping our thinking toward discontinuity, simplicity, and superficiality of content. On the other hand, the Internet might give us a chance to improve our skills to quickly respond to varying content that we find in cyberspace, which is something our predecessors would probably have a problem with. It is rather difficult to map how thinking of a modern man changes, but it becomes apparent when compared with people in history. N. Postman [11] offers an impressive example of a nineteenth century dispute between Lincoln and Douglas. They both were able to maintain their debate on an exceptionally high rhetorical level for long hours and keep their audience interested. They could still continue their debate after a longer break. Postman showed the contrast with television, which through often miss-matching images deforms abstractive thinking, once highly cultivated by printed word. Pravdová [12] points out that "it is enough when images, can be distinguished, in contrast to words, which need to be understood." A similar situation happens also in the era of the Internet. The cyberspace Internet favors image thinking, unconcentrated and not too continual logically. In the context of these changes, Sartori [13] points out that man changes anthropologically and *Homo sapiens* turns into *homo videns*, which testifies to change from abstract to image thinking.

Communication in cyberspace triggers changes in understanding time, space, and structure of thinking. In order for us to communicate in cyberspace, we need new information technologies; these become an everyday part of our life. This is yet one more effect that cyberspace brings. Originally, modern information technologies were not mobile, just as the heavy computers we saw in the 1990s. With light and small notebook computers and presently also iPads and smartphones, this technology is easy to carry. They are part of our life not only at home but also in the streets, offices, and generally in any possible place that we go to. These modern devices that help us enter cyberspace are generally at hand. With Google Glasses, which do not require physical manipulation, cyberspace becomes somehow a part of the body. Google has a vision—such glasses could be transferred into electronic lenses. This would mean a very close bound between body and modern information technologies. With these communication changes, we start thinking about cyborgs, where technologies become a part of the human body. With everyday usage of smartphones or iPads and physical connection between them and the human body (they are at hand, in the pocket, etc.), we can start speaking of mental cyborgism because combining the human body and technologies happens at a mental level. However, if such technologies became a real part of the human body, it would mean real cyborgism, or direct connection of the human body and technology. We agree with R. Cenká and I. Lužák [14] that "technosphere is taking over biosphere" and that this trend will continue. This makes us wonder what will happen with human naturalness. Will we still be able to talk about the old human, or will it be a new kind of human? These questions might look like a sci-fi, but in a few years' time or decades, they could describe reality.

Another problem with identification with media is the one of cyberspace identifications with social groups or one's own avatar. It is not quite about what social group or what avatar it may be, but about the need to get somehow inside a group, identify oneself with the group, or change identity. Our identity can then be constructed in accord with our participation in various groups.

We can call the changes that we studied in this part of subchapter (changes in time, space, structures of thinking, and identification with technologies) formal, because they are results of using mental or physical connection to information technologies. Of course we could mention other formal influences, and we may, for example, study changes in the attention, memory, social contacts, and more. In the background of this approach is the idea of technological determinism, such as M. McLuhan, L. A. White, J. Lohisse, and other authors. The starting point for this approach is the idea that new communication technologies have a profound impact on human cognitive changes and consequently changes in culture and society. Along with formal influences, there are also changes based on content influence. We see content as particular communicated information that may take various forms—perhaps as symbols (images, sounds, and so on) or meanings (scientific, social, entertaining, and similar). Formal influence of cyberspace, though harder to be recognized as it is not a direct product of communication, has a stronger influence on shaping a man than communicated content, because it structurally changes his ideas and thinking. S. Gáliková Tolnaiová [15] calls the formal type of influence stronger version and the second, content type, weaker version of media influence. It is chiefly the first—formal type—that contributes to the new anthropogenesis, influencing man mentally, psychically, and also physically to certain degree.
