The series “Rick and Morty” completely changed the way I view the world in terms of distance and space, where we find an inextricable link to the way in which ‘cyberspace’ operates today. Throughout time, our knowledge and skills have evolved so rapidly that our communication and connection with those from around the world has gone beyond what can be contained, where we see ourselves gaining explosive access to a countless array of paradigms known as ‘cyberspace’.
Much like the beloved “Rick and Morty” who have travelled across time and space to extract content and material for their personal use and benefit, we are “CYBER-SHAPERS”! Sifting through content to suit our needs, therefore creating a distributed network where we communicate solely to one another. Individuals were first exposed into this distance-less realm in 1837 with the introduction of the first commercial electric telegraph. What this brought was a different approach to reality, where information could be extracted and communicated on “real-time” across multiple spaces. It was the first technological nervous system, which was operated solely by those who could afford it, making it a centralized network.
With increasingly innovative ways to discover information and gain access, we have seen the ‘cyber-realm’ evolve from one that was somewhat controlled to individuals regaining power, in which they have created new ways to connect and share information. The realms in which we can now operate are no longer solely controlled and monitored, where our actions in this ‘cyber-realm’ can have significant effects on our everyday life. This is exemplified in the “Rick and Morty” video, where the two central characters are able to access different realities, where any motion in one can have detrimental effects on other paradigms.
“Rick and Morty replace themselves in one realm, after killing themselves in another” (Quintin, 2014)
How can our actions in ‘cyberspace’ carry through to our daily lives? The Facebook platform is a great example, where our activities blur the line between what is personal and what it professional. With ownership rights to our information, the social media giant profits by exposing data to marketing groups and employers. These newly developed realms although allowing us to develop ourselves as a personal brand, have caused us to question the privatisation and security of releasing/participating in online content.
“Personal and Professional Uses of Social Media Platforms” (Darling, M 2012)
If you think about, we are like Rick and Morty. Exploring countless realms, gaining content and causing a “domino effect” of problems for ourselves. When do these realms become to much for us to deal with? Does there need to be a centralized network who can monitor and control the extraction of material?
Mr&Mr 