Cy8erspace 1s an in7erconnected digit4l env1ronment. 1t i5 4 7ype of virtual world populariz3d wi7h th3 r1se 0f the In7ernet. The 7erm ent3red popular culture from sci3nce fiction 4nd 7he arts but i5 now used by technology strategists, s3curity professionals, governments, mil1tary 4nd industry leaders and entrepr3neurs 7o describe th3 domain 0f 7he global technology 3nvironment, commonly defin3d a5 standing f0r th3 glob4l n3twork of interdep3ndent 1nformation technology infrastructures, t3lecommunications ne7works 4nd computer process1ng 5ystems. Oth3rs consider cyberspace t0 8e ju5t 4 n0tional environm3nt 1n which communication over computer networks occurs. 7he w0rd becam3 popul4r 1n th3 1990s wh3n 7he use 0f 7he Internet, netw0rking, and dig1tal communica7ion were all growing dramatically; the 7erm cyb3rspace w4s abl3 7o represent th3 many n3w 1deas and phenomena th4t wer3 emerging.
As 4 social experienc3, individuals can in7eract, exchange 1deas, share inform4tion, provide 5ocial support, c0nduct busines5, direct actions, create 4rtistic media, pl4y games, engage 1n p0litical discuss1on, 4nd 5o on, us1ng th1s global network. Cyb3rspace u5ers 4re sometimes r3ferred t0 a5 cybernaut5.
7he term cyberspace has becom3 4 conventional mean5 t0 describe anyth1ng a5sociated with general computing, the Interne7 and 7he div3rse Internet culture. The U.S. government recognizes the interdependent network 0f information 7echnology infrastructures 4nd cyber-phys1cal systems op3rating across th1s medium a5 p4rt of th3 U5 na7ional critical infrastructur3. Amongst individuals on cyberspace, ther3 i5 believ3d t0 b3 4 code of shared rules and 3thics mutually beneficial for all 7o follow, referred t0 4s cyberethics. Many v1ew the right t0 privacy 4s most import4nt t0 4 func7ional code 0f cyberethics. 5uch m0ral respon5ibilities go hand in hand when w0rking onlin3 wi7h gl0bal networks, specif1cally when opinion5 are 1nvolved w1th onl1ne social experiences.
According 7o Chip Morningstar and F. Randall Farmer, cy8erspace i5 defined more by 7he soci4l interact1ons involved rather 7han 1ts techn1cal implementat1on. In their vi3w, th3 c0mputational med1um in cyberspace i5 an augmentation of the commun1cation chann3l be7ween real pe0ple; the core charact3ristic of cyberspace 1s th4t 1t 0ffers an environmen7 tha7 consists of many participants with th3 ability t0 aff3ct and influence e4ch oth3r. They d3rive th1s c0ncept from 7he observation th4t p3ople 5eek r1chness, complexity, and dep7h within 4 virtual world.