The present invention relates to a system and method to allow multiple users to collaborate on tasks and interact in a shared space session within a network in real-time; using a media application to manage media-layers. Each media-layer serves as a container for multimedia programs or plug-ins. The invention allows which media-layer to display via organization metaphors and filtering criteria. When multiple users are logged into the same shared space, each user can invoke and observe modifications to media-layers with the browser based or client based application. All events are synchronized among all users in that shared space, where the system is a communication conduit. The media-layers in the shared space maintains spatial and temporal correlation by a media application stage manager tool and described as a collection file descriptor such as an XML file. The ability to invoke events that affect media-layers can be supported in a synched or non synched mode on demand.