The choice was indicative of the widespread rise of information sharing online and the dissemination of the opinions and ideas of anyone and everyone across the world. The resulting democratisation of global media means that the common man no longer needs a soapbox. If he has access to a computer, he has a digital platform. <\/p>\n
Most people spend a good portion of their day blogging, googling, surfing and downloading. We make friends, break-up relationships, find family, network, navigate and negotiate in front of a screen. There is an entire lexicon devoted to virtual communication, but where do these words come from? <\/p>\n
Take “blog” for instance. How many ordinary people who blog know that the word is a contraction of the terms “web log”. It is reality TV gone to the small screen, in which there is no screening process and anyone can participate. Whatever opinion you can belch up over lunch, whatever subject you’d like to pontificate on, whatever world-shattering ideas you may have while on the toilet, you’re welcome to share them with everyone out there in cyberspace, anyone who’s interested in your blog. <\/p>\n
And the funny thing is that people are interested. They’ll read what you have to say, belch up some opinions and even comment on your site. Talk about 15 seconds of fame! But don’t underestimate the power of the blog. From Prince Harry in Afghanistan to Tom Cruise expounding the virtues of Scientology, blogging can topple governments and make or break presidents. <\/p>\n
One of the most popular blogs to date is The Huffington Post The Guardian newspaper contends that the history of political blogging can be divided into the periods pre and post-Huffington. The world of the blog changed when millionaire socialite Ariana Huffington, with her unlimited money and connections, decided to join the “bloggerati” and create a liberal blog that has superseded all others in popularity. Says the Guardian: “The Huffington Post quickly became one of the most influential and popular journals on the web. It recruited professional columnists and celebrity bloggers. It hoovered up traffic. Its launch was a landmark moment in the evolution of the web because it showed that many of the old rules still applied to the new medium: a bit of marketing savvy and deep pockets could go just as far as geek credibility and get there faster.” <\/p>\n
If you have the time to start your own blog, perhaps you’d enjoy going further and starting an entirely new life. That is, if you’d like a virtual shot at making a name for yourself in a world that’s confined by cyberspace. <\/p>\n
The words “second life” used to refer to ex-cons participating in a witness protection programme. Now, if you have the inclination to live another make-believe digital life in addition to your own, you can escape humdrum reality in exchange for the humdrum unreality of The World, where you’ll discover a vast digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunities that never get realised. Why? They’re not real! They exist only in cyberspace, a term coined in the cyber-punk genre of science fiction-writer William Gibson to refer to a near-future computer network in which users mentally travel through matrices of data. <\/p>\n
The term is now used to describe the Internet and other computer networks, realities and virtual worlds. <\/p>\n
The term first appeared in Gibson’s book Neuromancer, but has now become ubiquitous in reference to the public spaces where individuals can meet, exchange ideas, share information, provide social support, conduct business, create artistic media, play simulation games or engage in political discussion in blogs. <\/p>\n
So get blogging, meet in cyberspace and google up the answer to anything you could ever possibly want to know. With a mirror on its front cover, Time put it eloquently: computer technology has enabled You to be the Person of the Year. <\/p>\n