It suggests that the computer world now supports a new and real social 'space' - one that raises more questions about people than about technology. Our children are using it to do their school projects on the lives of sperm whales off the coast of New Zealand. We can see the latest Hubble telescope pictures of space. In short, much of human life is represented in cyberspace. On a personal level the impact is profound.
People meet in cyberspace, work in it, play in it, learn things and discover things in it.
Increasingly, people's relationships, jobs and money will take place in cyberspace, and that makes it important. The impact on society is perhaps already larger than many have had opportunity to appreciate. Here is a simple example. London tea trading started 300 years ago, and the auction rooms were a place where people could come together. Now, the Internet has enabled producers in countries like Kenya and Sri Lanka to set up their own auctions, without involving London.