ABSTRACT
Despite the massive growth of cyberspace in the last twenty years, the materiality that supports it, ICTs, is largely invisible (Batty 1990; Moss 1986).1 Much of this infrastructure is hidden underground, located in anonymous server rooms, placed in conduits and roof voids, and housed in grey boxes that quietly hum under people’s desks. Given this invisibility, it is easy to assume that the infrastructure of cyberspace is as ethereal and virtual as the information and communication that it supports. However, the infrastructure has a materiality that can be mapped onto geographic space and displayed using cartographic techniques. The type of data, and its origins, destinations and the paths it travels through the various networks that compose the Internet, can also be mapped. Furthermore, this infrastructure is used by people located within geographic space, sat at a desk, accessing cyberspace through the screen, keyboard and mouse. Thus, we need to consider ICTs in relation to demographic matters – the characteristics and location of the people who use the various spaces and services. This, too, can be mapped to geographic space to reveal the demographic profile of ICTs and cyberspace.
