“The mind is the effect, not the cause” – exploring consciousness in Nikesh Shukla’s Meatspace

In Meatspace, Nikesh Shukla depicts an individual totally immersed in the vir- tual space to the extent that the meatspace – the physical world, as opposed to the cyberspace – becomes of secondary importance. Consequently, the physical world interweaves with the virtual reality, which reflects the posthuman condi- tion of the contemporary individuals. The posthuman view considers the material embodiment to be purely accidental, thus perceiving informational pattern rather than materiality as central to being. By discussing the concepts of the extended mind and the technological unconscious, this paper looks at how the narrative of the novel reflects the contemporary mind construed as a product of interaction between the individuals and their technological environments, exemplified by the technology of ubiquitous computing.