Pacifying Cyberspace in the Age of the Zettabyte

Abstract

The growth of the world-wide-web, and the revolution in information and communications technology of which it is a part, is an event of global historic significance, equivalent to the changes brought about by the industrial and agricultural revolutions of the 18 th and 19 th centuries. We are now living in a knowledge based world in which the internet is the core technological driver for knowledge storage, exchange and to a significant extent knowledge analysis and creation. The web is also a contested space, meaning that the values and ideas it generates and transmits are not neutral but have significant impact on how we live our lives. New forms of militarisation (cyberwar) and exploitation (cybercrime) are enabled by web technology and it can be argued that these darker aspects are in danger of becoming a dominating characteristic. This article explores the ways in which the web can be used to enhance capacities for creative peacebuilding though new forms of cyberpeace, which complement and extend the range of the traditional modes of conflict resolution while putting human agency – the choices and decisions of people – at the centre of the project to generate a global peace culture.