Which author coined the term 'cyberspace'?

William Gibson coined the term “cyberspace.” The word first appeared in his 1982 short story “Burning Chrome,” where it described a shared, computer-generated realm formed by interconnected networks.

Gibson made the concept famous in his 1984 debut novel Neuromancer. In that book, cyberspace is imagined as a vivid “matrix” that computer hackers can enter through a neural interface. The idea helped define cyberpunk, a science-fiction movement focused on advanced technology, corporate power, crime, and social decay.

A common mix-up is confusing cyberspace with cyberpunk. Bruce Bethke coined “cyberpunk” as the title of a 1980 short story, while Gibson popularized both the broader cyberpunk aesthetic and the idea of cyberspace. Gibson did not invent computer networking, but his striking language helped shape how the public imagined the emerging Internet and virtual communities.