"No 'There' There" by Jonathan G.S. Koppell
Medium Prompt

Koppell states in his essay "One reason that cyberspace is desribed as a place is to avoid downgrading it to the status of a mere medium." The Internet can be considered a medium because it is a type of representation. Like photos, essays, or music, it can tell stories. It can make emotional connections between people. Yet, as Koppell believes, calling the Internet merely a medium would indeed be downgrading its value. Take for example a camera. With a camera, one can capture photos and videos. These pictures and videos can then be posted online, sent to friends, or edited. One can do a lot with the pictures, yet a camera can only do so much. One cannot interact with anyone through a camera, nor can they order tickets or look up the local movie times. A television is also another example. A television is merely responsive - one cannot interact through it. There are hundreds of shows and movies found on television, yet like a camera, it is limited. The Internet, however, seems limitless. One can talk to a relative that lives on the other side of the country. One can order tickets to a concert or look up movie times without having to go anywhere. People can certainly find just about anything they are curious about through search engines. And one can watch videos posted on sites such as YouTube, or download music. Unlike other forms of medium, the Internet is interactive - games can be played and people can converse, whether through instant messages, emails, online journals, or message boards.

I do not consider the Internet a place. When I am online, I feel as though I am still in my house in New Jersey and not lost in cyberspace. Yet the Internet is so much more than television. There are so many more options found online, and so many different ways of interacting rather than just receiving. Calling the Internet would definitely downgrade it, as it is much more advanced than a photograph, a television, or any other medium.