Language and libertarianism: the politics of cyberculture and the culture of cyberpolitics

A significant number of theories concerning the nature of cyberspace or vir tuality are being constructed with little regard for the empirical realitie s of online life. This article sets out certain simple empirical factors re lated to the nature first of politics in cyberspace and second culture in c yberspace. These questions are posed as 'what is the politics of cybcrcultu re?' and 'what is the culture of cyberpolitics?'. The politics of cybercult ure revolves around issues of grossly uneven regional distribution of the I nternet and a bias toward angle-american language and culture that is based on the competitive individual. The culture of cyberpolitics revolves aroun d informational forms of libertarian and anarchist ideologies that posit cy berspace as the realm of individual freedom. These cultures and politics ca n be related to each other as the structure and action of cyberspace. The a ssumption that cyberspace is constituted by individuals is revealed as an a ssumption of both, and connection between, cyberpolitics and cybercultures.