The role of place in cyberspace

Abstract

Cyberspace is quickly becoming an alternative 'place' for everyday economic, cultural, and other human activities. Yet, cyberspace designers have not capitalized on the theories, experiences, and practices that have been guiding physical place-making. Rather, they have adopted the woefully inadequate 'document metaphor': instead of 'web-places' we find 'web-pages'. 3D environments that have closely mimicked physical spaces are not much better suited for making cyber-places: they are devoid of the essential characteristics that make a 'place' different from a mere 'space,' and only rarely are they sensitive to, and take advantage of the peculiarities of cyberspace. By looking at physical architecture as a case study and metaphor for organizing space into meaningful places, the paper explores the possibility of organizing cyberspace into spatial settings that, like physical places, afford social interaction and embody cultural values.