The internet as a city

Abstract

Culture is a subject of management. Conceptually, the Internet is included as a resource for civilisation, both materially and spiritually. In the sociological literature, the term ‘virtual city’ appears in the context of discourse analysis in online communities. This article analyses contemporary Internet reality, especially its cultural dimension, in the context of the notion of the city. It draws on both the results of sociological research and philosophical concepts concerning culture as a resource. The Internet – as it turns out – exhibits similar properties to the city. The Internet creates, among others, hazards characteristic of urban communities. It also creates opportunities for using culture, so-called high culture, the resources of which could not fully benefit urban society in the days before the Internet. Seemingly unlimited access, in the Internet space, to cultural goods (not only intangible – after all, the Internet allows the use of material goods, for example in online stores), however, poses a threat to the rational attitudes of those using them. The analysis leads to the conclusion that the quality of the use of network resources depends on the choices made by the Internet user. The ideas of philosophical thinkers for whom culture is a resource that cannot be treated only in the sphere of consumption are helpful in this respect. It is always necessary to reflect on the right choices of using cultural resources.