Meatspace

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Meatspace is a word referring to real life or the physical world, and conceived as the opposite of cyberspace or virtual reality.[1]

The term appears in science fiction literature, specifically the cyberpunk genre, but it has become increasingly common in general usage as a reference to transactions or interactions which occur in the presence of physical bodies ("meat"), rather than online or electronically. One might also talk about doing something "in the meat space" or "in the meat world" as a way of saying it isn't being done online. The term may be used as a conscious rejection of the derogatory connotations inherent in the term "real life" and the implication that interactions in cyberspace are less real or meaningful than physical interactions.

Some early uses of the term include a post to the Usenet newsgroup austin.public-net on Feb. 21, 1993[2] and an article in the Seattle Times about John Perry Barlow on October 30, 1995 [3]. The term entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 2000 [4].

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[edit] References

  1. ^ Dodero, Camille (2006-07-17). Does your life suck?. The Phoenix. Retrieved on 2007-07-23. “Beyond this world, in real life — a/k/a what Second Lifers refer to as "meatspace," where your body is made of flesh, not bytes…”
  2. ^ Barnes, Douglas (1993-02-21). Austin CyberSpace Journal #1. Retrieved on 2008-03-13. “Meatspace update (quick rundown on where/how to interact with net.folks in meatspace, i.e., regular events, social gatherings, restaurant hangouts, etc.)”
  3. ^ Andrews, Paul (1995-10-30). He's Trying To Build A Community On-Line -- Grateful Dead Lyricist Ventures Into Cyberspace. Retrieved on 2008-03-13. “John Perry Barlow is multitasking between cyberspace, meatspace and parentspace about as well as a mere mortal can do.”
  4. ^ 'Lookist' Britain: the way we look inspires the new English. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
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