Cyberspace as a Habitat
PROJECT + TASKS:
When we think about habitats, we tend to look around us: we hear, we smell, we feel. Everything that surrounds us becomes part of our habitat. But what if this is not all there is—what if a habitat exists beyond physical boundaries?
Cyberspace is already inextricably linked to everyday life. We communicate, work, learn, and spend our leisure time within it. It is a space in which ideas and personalities can flourish, offering seemingly limitless possibilities for new forms of identity. In its early days, the online world functioned primarily as a practical tool for education. Computers enabled communication, and university networks made it easier for scientists to exchange research and findings. Soon, however, the network expanded beyond academia, and graphical user interfaces made it accessible to a wider public. At the time, few could have imagined how profoundly this technology would reshape our lived reality.
Numerous attempts have been made to classify online space. It is sometimes described as a parallel world, sometimes as an extension of human existence.
Yet drawing a clear boundary between the so-called “real world” and cyber reality seems impossible. Rather than opposing realms, the two are deeply intertwined.
Instead, it is specific characteristics that distinguish these spaces. One difference is immediately apparent: the physical environment consists of three dimensions through which we move, whereas cyberspace offers, at best, an illusion of spatiality. Its underlying substance is always the same—binary code, a language readable by machines but incomprehensible to humans until it is translated. Only through this translation does cyberspace unfold as a realm rich in information and references to the physical world. Interfaces and maps guide us through it.
Within this space, purchases are made through online shops, individuals create profiles, construct digital identities, and connect with others. What happens online does not remain confined to cyberspace; it can influence—and transform—every other area of life.
But what happens when the distinction between online and offline is no longer made?
At first glance, this may seem like a trivial assumption. After all, we believe we know exactly when we are sitting in front of a computer, browsing the internet, and when we are not.
Or do we?
When I look up a bar on a map, I initially assume that it exists. If the friends I plan to meet there message me that 7 p.m. works for them, I assume I will not end up sitting alone at the counter. In other words, I trust that places, people, and what is communicated correspond to reality. And if they did not, I would notice at the very latest that evening.
In social networks, however, the situation is quite different. In principle, anyone can publish content as they wish. Users may remain anonymous and choose an arbitrary name, making it unclear who—or what—stands behind the content. By now, the internet, including social media, has become a primary source of news and information. Its independence from time and place makes it easy to exchange ideas and connect with others who share similar interests. Like-minded individuals form groups in which opinions and content are circulated and reinforced. Once algorithms have identified a user’s interests, they continuously supply further content aligned with those preferences.
This process gives rise to echo chambers—spaces in which similar opinions coexist and mutually reinforce one another. The more confirmation an opinion receives, the more firmly it is believed. The same principle applies to information: the more people accept a claim as true, the more credible it appears, regardless of whether it is accurate or false. This is where social bots come into play—profiles representing people who do not exist. They are programmed to like, post, and comment on specific content, deliberately amplifying certain narratives and viewpoints.
At this point, I want to return to the questions raised earlier: what happens when the distinction between online and offline is no longer made?
Cyberspace—and the substance from which it is constructed—is manipulable to an extent that far exceeds that of so-called offline reality. This is what makes the growing entanglement of the two spaces so precarious. Manipulation that begins online can ultimately materialize in the physical world.
