Agora: Red Deer Polytechnic Undergraduate Journal
Volume 16:1 2025 Agora Conference Proceedings

A Contending Reality: The Secluded
Physical Infrastructure of the Digital World
Lukas Andersen
Reality receives its definition in the human mind based
on its interpretations and regardless of what is actually real. This
can bring about inaccurate definitions of reality, such as the
long-held assertion that the Sun revolves around the Earth.
Currently, thanks to scientific innovation, humanity has clarified
reality a great deal – reality in this case being the physical things
that can be directly observed by a human, including face-to-face
interactions with others and scenery and sounds physically
occurring in front of the observer. However, scientific
innovation has also allowed humanity to create a contending
“reality.” This is the digital world, a widely accessible web of
electronic technology engineered by humans to accurately
capture and display records of reality, to share knowledge and
ideas, to communicate without spatial barriers, and to entertain
with unparalleled sensory immersion. From interactions with
social media to the idea of achieving total immersion in a digital
universe termed the “metaverse” using virtual reality systems,
the digital world is easily interpreted as very real by the mind,

1

thanks to its effective replication of key aspects of reality such
as

interpersonal

communication

and

visual

sensations.

Fundamentally, the digital world is a creation of humans
however, and distinctly not reality. It is thus important to be
aware of the real, physical structures the digital world relies on
to avoid passively treating it like reality when, unlike reality, it
is a markedly novel occurrence, fundamentally unnatural, and
created for profit.
The digital world has only existed for a strikingly brief
fraction of human history, but has within that time managed to
have disproportionately extensive impacts. A primary reason for
this is the internet, with its ability to greatly expand and enhance
the reach of human relationship and communication in a way
that has never been possible before. In 2022, the percentage of
the population using the internet among 18 surveyed countries
with advanced economies averaged at a substantial 93% (Wike
32). Ten years earlier, this number was 68% at its highest and ten
years before that there was no public internet to speak of (Wike
31; Ring). Broadly available computing technology, the enabler
of the internet and the digital world as it currently exists, has
only been around for a similar span of time (Pottenger). Thus,
the impacts of these technologies have unfolded within only the
last four decades of human history. These impacts have been
considerable, particularly in the realm of communication, as

2

communication

virtual

has

added

a

never-before-seen

dimension to human relationships, which lie at the heart of what
it means to be human. In addition to natural in-person
communication, it is now possible for more than half the world’s
population (Dennis) to communicate from almost anywhere, to
almost anywhere immediately. This can be done irrespective of
distance, using not only text, but also video and speech, both in
close personal relationships and inconceivably massive global
social networks. Additionally, beyond enlarging the field of
interpersonal

communication,

digital

technology

makes

advanced visual and auditory entertainment in the form of
games, videos, and virtual reality possible and allows almost
total visual and auditory immersion in them. No previous
technology humans have invented to aid in communication or
entertainment has been sufficiently advanced to offer such
personal,

immediate,

interconnected,

and

complex

communication and entertainment capabilities as digital
technology can, making its emergence in the course of history a
unique shift in human experience. This marks one of the key
differences between physical reality and the digital world – the
latter, despite being similarly impactful on a human observer, is
a very new part of the human experience.
The ability of digital devices to vastly extend human
communication and entertainment capabilities has proven very

3

attractive. In the United States of America, about 50% of
teenagers 12-17 years old spend four or more daily hours in front
of a digital screen and about 41% spend two to three hours
(Zablotsky et al.). In an article by Peter Clark of TIME
Magazine, one mother, speaking about her son’s virtual birthday
party, stated, “just because it happens in a virtual space doesn’t
make it less real. It’s very real to my son.” Arguably, this ability
for digital technology to act as a medium for very real and
extensive social interaction between real people, allows it to
merge effortlessly with day-to-day experience of reality. Clark
writes that young people of the day are “growing up with the
expectation that a large part of their future will exist in the
metaverse”. This marks a notable change from previous
generations who have come to know digital technology in
adolescence and adulthood as opposed to growing up with it.
With every subsequent generation going forward, the distance
from a world without digital technology and communication will
grow. And with more time to continue innovation, many
envision a future where there is increasing integration of digital
life into real life, with “greater overlap [between the two] in
wealth, socialization, productivity, shopping and entertainment”
(Clark). Increasingly, the digital world is merging into the real
world with ease thanks to its ability to greatly enhance alreadyvaluable human experiences.

4

Considering this trajectory of technological integration
within society, it becomes pertinent to carefully consider the
underlying differences between it and physical reality. Most
notably, the function which digital technology has in human
experience, and its similarity to reality, bear almost no
resemblance to its underlying physical infrastructure. To the
user, digital devices are almost synonymous with what they
display – a sender’s message, a video or movie, a medium for
creativity, an extension of one’s own thoughts, or an entrance
point to the information megastructure of the internet. And all
these functions have parallels in physical reality – an in-person
conversation, watching a play, painting an imagined different
world, a personal filing system, or a library. However, the “real”
component of their digital counterparts looks nothing like them.
Until the very last moment, the occurrences on a screen are in
fact processes that are unlike anything nature would ever
produce. They are not biological, but at their foundation, highly
structured electrical circuit systems often connected only by
light waves (Britannica), and ending in screens, which are
essentially lattices of tiny glowing lights that appear like an
image only when viewed at a sufficient distance. The mass of
electrical signals which underpins all this can be described as
data (Data), and there is an immense amount of it on the internet.
This data is mainly stored in massive data centers, commonly

5

known as “the cloud” (Herr 2). While this term and the ease of
use of cloud storage implies silent and direct information
retrieval similar to reading paper files or a book, it is in fact
anchored in the real world as “miles of metal racks housing
sophisticated electronics [, primarily computers,] connected by
planetary-scale fiber and radio data networks all supported by
specialist teams and massive cooling sources” (Herr 2).
Furthermore, the data and data centers are run and managed by
corporations for profit. Experimental data valuation for Canada
in 2019 was estimated at $200 billion, and the estimated values
of market capitalizations of major data companies like Google,
Amazon, Apple, and Meta are in the trillions of dollars (Fay).
Herein lies a crucial distinction between reality and the digital
world: nature, physical reality, is not a product of humanity’s
profit-seeking industry, but the digital world is. Lastly, the
devices that comprise the digital world are nothing like the
devices of nature. Unlike the systems of the natural world, which
typically exist inherently as some form of a cycle, digital devices
are built, used, and then disposed of with only limited possibility
of reuse, and the materials are highly artificial, often containing
toxic substances like mercury and lead (Campbell). At this point,
electronic waste is “the world’s fastest growing source of waste”
(Campbell). As such, the core components of the digital world
largely remain hidden behind what is on the display of the user’s

6

device because they are nothing like their final function or the
structures of nature they aim to enhance.
Ultimately, while the digital world can greatly resemble
reality and seems like its viable extension, it should never be
passively accepted, depended on, or treated anything like reality
because it is fundamentally not, and can thus easily shift in
drastic, fundamental, and unpredictable ways. David Suzuki
notes that the implementation of new technology always comes
with potential costs proportional to the technology’s power, and
that these costs typically only show when the technology has
already been implemented on a very large scale. He writes that
“we have to build into our judgments a large leeway for our
ignorance and err on the side of extreme caution” (Suzuki 255).
This perspective seems especially relevant to digital technology,
which has been implemented on a massive scale and is
extremely powerful. While four decades of implementing a
“new” technology may seem like a long time, it is arguably very
brief considering the fundamental shift in human experience
digital technology represents. And so, the full extent of its costs
are not yet known; still, its usage and influence continue to grow
(Anderson et al.), as well as the intent to increase that influence.
One potential cost is that allowing the digital world to merge
with one’s experiences of physical reality can result in the
formation of an unstable and inaccurate perception of reality. As

7

previously mentioned, the physical infrastructure of the digital
world neither resembles biological structures nor natural cycles.
Whether or not it will prove to be as consistent or fundamentally
dependable as the natural world is thus uncertain. The
fundamental stability and format of the digital world, from social
media to virtual reality experiences, is rooted in large part in
economic structures and the arbitrary corporate decisions of
companies on such things as subscription plans and features.
Such decisions can potentially result in the sudden change or
even disappearance of entire chunks of the digital world at any
moment. And in terms of its content, unlike real communication
and

data

storage

(written

text

and

images),

digital

communication and data storage, including the internet, rely on
complex human systems to sustain them. Consequently, major
disruptions to these systems, such as disruptions to power supply
or resource chains, can drastically shake the digital world.
Considering the unnatural, untested, and potentially unstable
physical infrastructure of the digital world, it is sensible to err
on the side of caution and avoid intentional dependence on it, or
immersion in it, despite its invitation.
Overall, it is crucial to avoid passively treating the digital
world like reality: despite its resemblance, it is fundamentally
not like reality, being a very recent historical occurrence created
in the midst of human economy. Within only the last four

8

decades, the digital world has emerged with unparalleled impact,
releasing human communication from the restraint of distance
and vastly enriching human entertainment experiences.
Unsurprisingly, the digital world has thus widely engulfed
countries economically advanced enough to afford its
implementation. Due to its resemblance to reality, it integrates
effortlessly with sensory experience and almost becomes a part
of physical reality for its users. Many anticipate a continued
move in that direction in the future. Despite all this, the digital
world is fundamentally not what it seems. While its major
components have what seem like parallels in reality, those
components are fundamentally nothing like reality, being neither
organic structures nor cyclic systems, but rather complex
structures of electronic signals and wireless transmission of data,
which is largely stored in massive computer facilities that
require rigorous maintenance to uphold. As digital technology
continues to grow as a force in society, consistently gaining in
its ability to integrate and merge with individual experiences of
reality, it becomes increasingly important to remain conscious of
its nature and careful with the scope of its implementation.

9

Works Cited
Anderson, Monica, et al. “Teens, Social Media and Technology
2023.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 11
Dec. 2023,
www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/12/11/teens-socialmedia-and-technology-2023/.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "wireless
communications". Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Nov.
2024, www.britannica.com/technology/wirelesscommunications. Accessed 16 December 2024.
Campbell, Katie, and Ken Christensen. “Where Does
America’s e-Waste End up? GPS Tracker Tells All.”
PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 10 May 2016,
www.pbs.org/newshour/science/america-e-waste-gpstracker-tells-all-earthfix.
Clark, Peter. “The Metaverse Has Already Arrived. Here’s
What That Actually Means.” TIME, 15 Nov. 2021,
time.com/6116826/what-is-the-metaverse/. Accessed 15
Dec. 2024.
“Data.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster,
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/data. Accessed
15 Dec. 2024.
Dennis, Michael Aaron and Kahn, Robert. "Internet".
Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Dec. 2024,

10

www.britannica.com/technology/Internet. Accessed 15
December 2024.
Fay, Bob. "Data: the precious asset we chronically
undervalue." Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada], 30 Oct.
2023, p. B4. Gale In Context: World
History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A770912689/WHIC?u
=red68720&sid=bookmark-WHIC&xid=ebde663e.
Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
Herr, Trey.There is no Cloud, Just Other People’s Computers.”
Four Myths about the Cloud: The Geopolitics of Cloud
Computing, Atlantic Council, 2020, pp. 2–5. JSTOR,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep26033.4. Accessed 16
Dec. 2024.
Pottenger, William Morton , Freiberger, Paul A. ,
Hemmendinger, David and Swaine, Michael R..
"computer". Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2024,
www.britannica.com/technology/computer. Accessed 15
December 2024.
Ring, Julian. “30 Years Ago, One Decision Altered the Course
of Our Connected World.” NPR, 30 Apr. 2023,
www.npr.org/2023/04/30/1172276538/world-wide-webinternet-anniversary. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

11

Suzuki, David. “It Always Costs.” Essay Writing for Canadian
Students with Readings edited by Roger Davis and
Laura Davis, 9th ed. Pearson, 2020, pp. 254-255.
Wike, Richard, et al. “Internet, Smartphone and Social Media
Use.” Social Media Seen as Mostly Good for
Democracy Across Many Nations, But U.S. Is a Major
Outlier, Pew Research Center, 2022, pp. 31–42. JSTOR,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep63204.6. Accessed 15
Dec. 2024.
Zablotsky, Benjamin, et al. “Daily Screen Time Among
Teenagers: United States, July 2021–December 2023.”
National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 30 Oct. 2024,
www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db513.htm.

12