Constructing a Virtual Geography: Narratives of Space in a Text-Based Environment

Abstract

This article explores the role a narrative of geography and space plays in the process of community in the Internet newsgroup, alt.cyberpunk and the role of computer-mediated communication (CMC) technology in fostering a sense of virtual geography. It discusses the “naturalness” of the conceptual geography of Internet hierarchies, how this leads to the virtual geography of cyberspace, and how a textual mode of communication has been modified to accommodate this new communication environment. This article investigates the cooperative narrative developed by regular contributors to alt.cyberpunk, compares virtual and geographically based communities, and speculates on the role of space and narratives of geography in the process of community. The article concludes that symbolic resources may play a greater role in the process of community than the physical spaces communities occupy.