Archetypal Conceptualization of Cyberspace as the Celtic Otherworld

Abstract

The Internet presents us with a wide range of novel experiences for which we do not have corresponding "real-world" experiences that would help us in psychologically organizing our understanding of this new communication medium. Our difficulty in organizing our psychological experiences with the Internet and cyberspace results in our inappropriately applying models developed from "real-world" experiences to the new medium of cyberspace. This article proposes that, on a fundamental level, our experiences with cyberspace are being unconsciously organized around the archetypal theme expressed in the Celtic conceptualization of the Otherworld, or sidhe. The parallels between cyberspace and the Celtic Otherworld are explored and the implications for understanding our reactions to the Internet are discussed.