meatspace

(MEET.spays)

n.

The flesh-and-blood real world; the opposite of cyberspace.

Example Citation:

Writers, who can go for three or four days at a time without talking to people in 'meatspace', are particularly attracted to this form of friendship.

— Andrew Brown, "Real friends; friendships formed from exchange of electronic mail messages," New Statesman, December 4, 1998

Earliest Citation:

Seven years after [John Perry Barlow] gave up cattle ranching ("I found myself competing largely with people who didn't need to earn a profit and were in it for lifestyle alone"), he now helps others to understand the encroaching "virtualisation" of society. He is a frequent contributor to debates in both the real and on-line communities, in cyberspace and "meatspace", as he so charmingly refers to the corporeal world.

— Jon Casimir, "Battle stations in cyberspace," The Sydney Morning Herald, July 29, 1995

First Use:

Meatspace update (quick rundown on where/how to interact with net.folks in meatspace, i.e., regular events, social gatherings, restaurant hangouts, etc.).

— wixer!gumby (Douglas Barnes), "Austin Cyberspace Journal Newsletter," austin.public-net, February 21, 1993

Related Words:

bricks-and-mortar

clicks-and-mortar

face time

face-to-face sales

facemail

fleshmeet

fleshwriter

fyborg

real reality

televisionspace

wet signature

Category:

Internet