Physical and virtual space influence each other through a continuous feedback relationship. Physical locations, borders, infrastructure, and inequalities shape digital participation, while virtual systems reshape how people access, experience, and organize physical places.
In the SL and HL shared syllabus, space concerns how humans organize, construct, and represent physical, geographic, cultural, social, and virtual environments. Access, movement, and flows are central: internet infrastructure and device availability determine who can enter virtual spaces, while digital platforms affect how people move through and interpret physical environments.
| Direction of influence | Mechanism and result |
|---|---|
| Physical to virtual | Geography, laws, language, wealth, and network infrastructure affect access to platforms, available content, and online communities. National regulation may restrict a platform, while poor broadband can exclude rural communities. |
| Virtual to physical | Digital maps, remote work, online commerce, and location-based media change travel, workplaces, shopping districts, and social interaction. Virtual boundaries can also influence who feels welcome in physical spaces. |
System: Pokémon GO combines mobile networks, GPS data, digital maps, and augmented reality to place virtual objects at physical locations.
Example specifics: After its 2016 release, players travelled to mapped PokéStops and Gyms, often gathering at parks, landmarks, and businesses. However, the original distribution of game locations reflected the geographic distribution of earlier user-submitted mapping data.
Impacts and implications: The game increased visits and social activity at some physical locations. Unevenly distributed locations also demonstrated how existing geographic and socioeconomic inequalities could be reproduced in virtual space. Future location-based systems offer opportunities for tourism and community participation, but risk excluding poorly mapped communities.
The common misconception is that virtual space is separate from the physical world. In reality, both are parts of interconnected systems, and changes in one can create intended and unintended consequences in the other.
In an IB response, explain both directions rather than describing only internet access or only digital effects. Apply the concept through a specific real-world example, identify affected people and communities, and distinguish observed impacts from future implications.
