The Wired

"The other side is overcrowded. The dead will have nowhere to go."

The Wired is the series name for a global-spanning computer network: the internet, the phone lines, general network infrastucture, and the invisible traffic between machines and people. Some characters treat it as a distinct place, while others see it as an overlay on the real world.

As the Layers stack, the membrane between the Wired and the world of bodies gets thinner, driven by a mix of technological advancement and societal stress. The Knights of the Eastern Calculus push that thinning on purpose, driven by a mix of fame/infamy, personal vendettas, and religious fervor. Masami Eiri vainly tries to own the next protocol. Tachibana General Laboratories has their own agenda for the Wired's development.

The wired is typically portrayed as abstract visual interfaces, with text and images flowing, rotating, and twisting. Other times it's shown with a more physical, yet usually abstract, appearance.

See also: Protocols of the Wired.