가상공간의 헤테로토피아와 지각 규율

초록

(Background and Purpose) Virtual space is no longer confined to the two-dimensional screen. As spatial computing develops, it increasingly functions as a place in which users enter, move, remain, and interact with others. Yet dominant accounts of virtual space still frame immersion, open-ended exploration, and frequent interaction as signs of technological liberation. What often disappears from view is the organization of power behind these experiences. Interface design, algorithms, and platform rules do more than form the technical basis of virtual space; they also shape how it is perceived and used. This study therefore asks how placeness is formed in virtual space and how power operates within that process. (Method) The research combines a theoretical literature review with theory-driven interpretive case analysis. Henri Lefebvre's theory of the Production of Space and Edward W. Soja's Thirdspace theory provide the basis for reconsidering virtual space as an experienced and socially produced space rather than a secondary imitation of physical space. In addition, Michel Foucault's theory of heterotopia is used to examine spatial power through the organization of juxtaposition, temporal structures, access, and order. Next, the study traces Western visual culture from linear perspective and the panorama to 3D graphics and virtual reality. Cyberpunk 2077, Genshin Impact, and Roblox were selected through purposive sampling. Their spatial and interaction mechanisms were analyzed at two levels: environment and subject. (Results) Three findings emerge. First, virtual space operates as a Thirdspace-like place where technological infrastructure, representation, bodily practice, social interaction, and imagination intersect and overlap. Heterotopia further reveals that this order is structured rather than neutral. Platform rules classify space, access systems regulate participation, different spatial logics are juxtaposed, and technical operations reorganize time. Second, digital presence has a historical relation to Western traditions of constructing space through optics and visibility. Perspective, panoramic vision, 3D graphics, and virtual reality organize the field of vision. Through this organization, a technically produced environment is experienced as spatial depth and place. As mediation becomes less visible, embodied responses intensify that experience. Third, discipline affects users at both the environmental and subject levels. Data surveillance, sightline guidance, invisible walls, and algorithmic segmentation constrain the paths through which users move in space. In addition, operant conditioning, ergodic exploration, bodily feedback, and peer surveillance shape repeated action and self-regulation. (Conclusions) Virtual space is neither a neutral technological setting nor a simple extension of physical space. The placeness of virtual space is produced through spatial organization, perceptual mechanisms, and platform power. Discipline, moreover, does not always appear as prohibition or coercion. Through the design of virtual space, discipline acts on users at both the subject and environmental levels.

키워드