The Fall Of Homo Digitalis Impersonal Intimacy And New Relationships in The Digital Era

By Brian Gibson

With unparalleled insight and a keen understanding of the digital revolution's impact on our lives, this book explores the rise of Homo Digitalis, a new era of human existence where screens, algorithms, and data have reshaped how we interact.

From the exhilarating thrill of swiping right to the troubling reality of social media-driven envy, this book delves into the paradox of our time: the paradox of impersonal intimacy. We've become experts at connecting with others across the globe while sometimes struggling to communicate with those closest to us. "The Fall of Homo Digitalis" examines how these unprecedented technological advancements have redefined our notions of love, friendship, and human connection.

Whether you're a digital native, a concerned parent, or anyone curious about the transformative power of technology on our relationships, this book is a must-read for all those seeking to comprehend the ever-shifting dynamics of love, intimacy, and human connection in the digital age. "The Fall of Homo Digitalis" mirrors our digital selves and guides us toward a more connected and authentic future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: vincenzo nappi
• Release date: Oct 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223551621

Book preview

Chapter One

Introduction

SMARTPHONES, TABLETS, and other mobile digital devices spend much of their lives and ours pressed close to us. Their surfaces are marked by our fingerprints; we learn the feel of their weight in our pockets, and every day, we are embedded in routines and habits where we find ourselves reaching for the device. Both academic and popular debates are dominated by accounts of the impact of these technologies that defer to a specific image of the 'social.' These accounts are motivated primarily to determine what new forms of interaction are sedimenting now that objects like the iPhone are commonplace. Yet, as we approach ten years since the release of the iPhone, it seems that little is 'settled' about these things. Smartphones and other mobile digital devices are charged with alienating us from the intimate encounters with others that constitute human sociality, distracting us from places our gaze 'ought' to go. Our inability to come to terms with these devices is nowhere more apparent than in the contrast between our prescribed practices and actual relations. Popular narratives stress the need to reduce 'dependence' on these devices to retain intimacy with each other, yet our appetite for them seems to have no relation to these concerns.

These devices are, however, much more than conduits of human communication, and the rise of smartphones and tablets has further emphasized the limitations of such understandings. Embedded in daily routines and practices, mobile digital devices become a constant presence that can call forth our attention, not with a ring or alert but with their proximity and familiarity. A survey found that more than half the population now checks their smartphone within 15 minutes of waking, with 44% of 18-34-year-olds studying their device often without the prompt of calls or alerts. Indeed, it is precisely because mobile digital devices are increasingly drawing our attention beyond the lure of human communication that they are troubling. Even more than this, these intimate moments of familiar inclination in which we find ourselves reaching for the device sit at odds with popular and academic discourse that orients discussion about how we ought to manage their place in our