cyberculture

Cyberculture refers to the social, cultural, and behavioral patterns that arise from the use of computer networks, digital devices, and online communities. It emerged with the spread of personal computers, the Internet, and later mobile technologies, shaping how people communicate, create, learn, and organize.

Core elements include online identity and communication on forums and social media, digital production such as blogging and video sharing, open‑source software and user‑generated content, and the presence of virtual spaces like online games and cyberspaces. It also encompasses networked activism, memes, digital art, and the hacker, maker, and cyberpunk subcultures that emphasize information sharing, collaboration, and experimentation.

Cyberculture has transformed everyday life by enabling rapid, borderless communication and new modes of collaboration, production, and economy around attention and data. It has also raised concerns about privacy and surveillance, digital divides, misinformation, and online harassment. The transition to Web 2.0 and the mobile internet has intensified participation and monetization, while debates continue about platform governance, algorithmic mediation, and the commercialization of online spaces.

Scholars in media studies and related fields examine cyberculture to understand how online practices shape identity, culture, politics, and cultural industries. Related concepts include digital culture, internet culture, meme culture, cyberspace, and cyberpunk, reflecting the varied ways societies interpret and respond to digital networks.