Other then an extension of our humanity we can declare the internet as an extension of our society and physical environment. To truly see this impact we need to take a trip to a society that has fully harmonised every aspect of their life with Internet and technology. Seoul has the fastest Internet connection in the world that extends to their underground system, deeming this South Korean city the most connected in the world.

Addiction

Seoul’s society as a system of virtual environments alongside reality has climbed to peak that Copernicus had labelled as “the boiling point” (Rushkoff, 1999). Unlike Radio’s boiling point where the medium had evolved into a format that is relevant to societies understanding of the world, here it is in reverse. The medium in this instance is our virtual presence. Even though we’ve established our virtual presence as an extension of our physical existence, Seoul’s citizens are experiencing an extension of their virtual presence into their physical lives.


Seoul’s Gonju National Hospital specialises in treating Internet addiction, over the past decade hundreds of patients have been submitted to the psychiatric clinic. DR Lee Jay of the psychiatric clinic worries that excessive online gaming can blur the line of fantasy and reality. He elaborates ”If some one plays a particularly violent game, for excessive periods, then in the gamers mind those acts of violence can become acceptable and natural.” To date South Korean authorities have already attributed more then a dozen killings to online addiction A.