Internet Law Commons^™

Western Frontier Or Feudal Society? Metaphors And Perceptions Of Cyberspace, Alfred C. Yen

Alfred C. Yen

The Article examines how metaphors influence perceptions of cyberspace. Among other things, the Article studies the comparison of cyberspace to the American western frontier and the metaphor's construction cyberspace as a "place" whose natural characteristics guarantee freedom and opportunity. This supports an often-made claim that cyberspace is different from real space, and that government should generally refrain from regulating the Internet.

The Article surveys the basis of the western frontier metaphor in academic history and popular culture and concludes that the metaphor misleads people to overestimate cyberspace's "natural" ability to guarantee freedom and opportunity. The Article accomplishes this in part …