[Reading Response] M. Christine Boyer

Boyer has mentioned the point of CyberCities, how different aspects of cities are being replaced and controlled by computer technology, and I think this is becoming the new reality day by day. Like the argument mentioned in the reading, “electronic telecommunications have so reformulated our perception of space and time that we experience a loss of spatial boundaries, of spacial distinctions.”, since the beginning of the pandemic, our normal lives have been moved online and became virtual. People were used to going to school or to work or to gatherings in person, but because of the virus, people were forced to do everything virtually, and the “space” and “time” of people’s daily lives keep changing. Take classes as an example, as a freshman, I did not experience any face-to-face lessons this year, the classrooms, lecturers, tutors, and classmates that I was supposed to meet on campus moved into my room, and onto my computer screen, and my perception of the “space” of a classroom has been changed. As for some of my friends that are supposed to be studying in other countries, they were forced to stay in Hong Kong because of the pandemic, and they attended their lessons thousand of miles away in their own bedroom and in different time zones. Even graduation ceremonies, or concerts, or other forms of entertainment can be conducted virtually. Before our technology was as advanced, it was impossible for such situations to happen, the boundaries and restrictions were broken by the development of technology. Thus, on one hand, our lives are improved and things were made more convenient and easier, but on the other hand, experiences will be lost and the connection between people physically may be lost during the process. People will keep on relying on technology and soon, like the sci-fi movies created, artificial intelligence will dominate the world.

–Woo Sik Yu Sonia 3035797365