The problem of discourse in the context of digital routine

DOI: http://doi.org/10.12795/Argumentos/2022.i25.07 Argumentos de Razón Técnica, nº 25, 2022, pp. 235-254 THE PROBLEM OF DISCOURSE IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL ROUTINE 1 EL PROBLEMA DEL DISCURSO EN EL CONTEXTO DE LA RUTINA DIGITAL ARTUR DYDROV – REGINA PENNER South Ural State University (Chelyabinsk, Russia) [email protected] – [email protected] RECIBIDO: 25/08/2022 ACEPTADO: 17/11/2022 Abstract: Digital routine, associated with the total spread of communication technologies, challenges the existing discursive practices. The genesis of new realities entails not only methodological, but also linguistic problems. In particular, traditional anthropological discourses that claimed to describe a person, define his essence, nature, position in space, etc., are called into question. Posthumanism tries to abandon the usual conceptual and terminological thesaurus (humanistic, anthropocentric) and re-poses the question of a person and his position in the world. Both traditional discourses and trendy posthumanism need philosophical reflection with the formulation of special questions inherent in it. The focus of attention of modern, digital anthropology is a person who has created a new reality and is transforming under the influence of the technological environment. Determining the spectrum and nature of these transformations is an interdisciplinary and, in particular, philosophical problem. The study of new realities requires a clear understanding of all possible directions of philosophical reflection and the possibilities of its conceptual contribution to the solution of anthropological problems. The purpose of the article is to identify potential productive areas of philosophical understanding of anthropological issues in the context of digital routine. The directions of philosophical conceptualization of anthropological issues in digital routine 1 The work was supported by the grant of the Presidency of the Russian Federation for young scientists-PhDs MK-2592.2022.2 “Digital Anthropology: Theoretical and Applied Aspects”. ARTUR DYDROV – REGINA PENNER Argumentos de Razón Técnica, nº 25, 2022, pp. 235-254 236 correlate with the scientific and philosophical structure (ontological, sociophilosophical, anthropological, axiological levels) and include specific cases of Internet Studies (practical and applied levels). The problem of value transformation in digital culture, the influence of Internet content on socializing mechanisms, modifications of cultural memory, scientific research, the problem of finding a new dimension of subjectivity, assessment of the opportunities and threats of the digital environment, the formation of digital literacy in the conditions of network capitalism, modification of traditional cultural practices are possible directions for interdisciplinary research and, in particular, philosophical practice that responds to the thinking and behavior of the new person. Keywords: digital routine; digital anthropology; digital literacy; Internet Studies; posthumanism; digital identity. Resumen: La rutina digital, asociada a la difusión total de las tecnologías de la comunicación, desafía las prácticas discursivas existentes. La génesis de nuevas realidades conlleva problemas no sólo metodológicos, sino también lingüísticos. En particular, se cuestionan los discursos antropológicos tradicionales que pretendían describir a una persona, definir su esencia, naturaleza, posición en el espacio, etc. El posthumanismo intenta abandonar el tesauro conceptual y terminológico habitual (humanista, antropocéntrico) y vuelve a plantear la cuestión de la persona y su posición en el mundo. Tanto los discursos tradicionales como el poshumanismo de moda necesitan una reflexión filosófica con la formulación de cuestiones especiales inherentes a ella. El foco de atención de la antropología digital moderna es una persona que ha creado una nueva realidad y se está transformando bajo la influencia del entorno tecnológico. Determinar el espectro y la naturaleza de estas transformaciones es un problema interdisciplinario y, en particular, filosófico. El estudio de nuevas realidades requiere una comprensión clara de todas las direcciones posibles de la reflexión filosófica y las posibilidades de su contribución conceptual a la solución de los problemas antropológicos. El propósito del artículo es identificar áreas productivas potenciales de comprensión filosófica de cuestiones antropológicas en el contexto de la rutina digital. Las direcciones de conceptualización filosófica de las cuestiones antropológicas en la rutina digital se correlacionan con la estructura científica y filosófica (niveles ontológicos, sociofilosófico, antropológico, axiológico) e incluyen casos específicos de Estudios de Internet (niveles práctico y aplicado). El problema de la transformación de valores en la cultura digital, la influencia de los contenidos de Internet en los mecanismos de socialización, las modificaciones de la memoria cultural, la investigación THE PROBLEM OF DISCOURSE IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL Argumentos de Razón Técnica, nº 25, 2022, pp. 235-254 237 científica, el problema de encontrar una nueva dimensión de la subjetividad, la evaluación de las oportunidades y amenazas del entorno digital, la formación de la alfabetización digital en las condiciones del capitalismo en red, la modificación de las prácticas culturales tradicionales son direcciones posibles para la investigación interdisciplinaria y, en particular, la práctica filosófica que responda al pensamiento y comportamiento de la nueva persona. Palabras clave: rutina digital, antropología digital, alfabetización digital, Estudios de Internet, posthumanismo, identidad digital. Introduction We are hooked in the space between the real and virtual worlds. Regardless of social and cultural perturbations, the real world defines specific artifacts and various social practices that are implemented by subjects in relation to these artifacts. In contrary, the virtual world is mobile. In the historical development of mankind, it changed the forms of its expression: εἶδος by Plato, God by Augustine of Hippo or St. Thomas Aquinas, Eurocentric ideas of an enlightened person from Denis Diderot and Voltaire to Immanuel Kant and Georg Hegel. In the 21st century virtuality is expressed in philistine discourse, as a rule, in the digital forms. Digital transforms a person and transforms his social practices. The transformation can be understood in terminology of crisis. Antonio Guerrero Ruiz remarks that “the absence of a true post-modern culture” forms the crisis of modernity, which is inextricably crisis of subject (Guerrero Ruiz, 2020). The transformation is also presented in the ideas of new generations. Probably the most famous name of the new person from the digital age is digital natives by Marc Prensky (Prensky, 2001a, 2001b). In 2022, the second decade opens from the moment when M. Prensky first divided people into two groups through the prism of their connection with the digital. According to the American educator, the fundamental difference between natives and immigrants is that ARTUR DYDROV – REGINA PENNER Argumentos de Razón Técnica, nº 25, 2022, pp. 235-254 238 digital is their natural habitat; they were already born in the conditions of digital gadgets and the Internet, which is why the language of the digital – computers, video games and the Internet – is their natural language (Prensky, 2001a, p. 1). At the same time, immigrants, no matter how well they mastered this language, speak digital with a clear accent (Prensky, 2001a, p. 2); in other words, on the surface is the effort that digital immigrants expend in addressing the digital language. In the 21st century M. Prensky’s idea remains at the forefront of digital issues in social, humanitarian and educational discourses (Judd, 2018; Kurniawati et al., 2018; Tick, 2018; Zenios & Ioannou, 2018). In current research, educators are moving from the direct idea of digital natives to digital literacy as an anthropological marker of the digital age. Digital literacy is presented not only as intuitively acquired skills, but as a system of interaction between different actors, primarily a person and digital technologies, within which a person (regardless of whether he is a native or an immigrant in the digital) has to be open to new, not only readymade knowledge, but also information (Serres, 2012), has to be in the state of lifelong education (London, 2011). Guro Hansen Helskog and Michael Noah Weiss in their research raise the issue of education as “the quest for scientific ‘evidence based’ practice” (Hansen Helskog & Noah Weiss, 2021; Weiss & Helskog, 2022). It presents the imbalance between “techné and poiesis with phronesis and praxis”. We are faced with the fact that in the digital reality a person is taught specific skills and competencies, but not a broad vision and understanding of the world. Myriam García Rodríguez offers a specific case within education – the 1ºCycle of Secondary School “Ethical values” subject, in the “ethical values and their relationship with science and technology” module (García Rodríguez, 2020). The very title THE PROBLEM OF DISCOURSE IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL Argumentos de Razón Técnica, nº 25, 2022, pp. 235-254 239 of the course spells out the idea that a purely human, in this case – ethical, – sphere takes place in the technical space. It needs to be brought to the surface and brought to the reflection of people, those whom M. Prensky calls natives. In his turn, Leon de Haas offers “a choreographic typology of philosophical practice” in work with both natives and immigrants (de Haas, 2018). He has presented philosophical practice as an effective intuitive tool for working with the consciousness, ideas and problems of a person living in a complex technological environment. In a technologized space that is becoming more and more digital, we are looking for a place for a person. Its place is not easy to find. In classical humanism, a person existed in a specific τόπος; the place of the demiurge, the creator. A person was on the throne of being. Digital technologies in this context should have become something that strengthens this position. In practice, everything turned out to be more complicated. Digital technologies have defocused the anthropological prism. Jürgen Habermas consolidated this in the thesis that the subject “ended” along with the end of the modern era (Habermas, 2016). Together with humans, gadgets, information, and the networks themselves (primarily the Internet) claim the role of actants today. This raises questions among those who remain in anthropological positions. Contemporary person cannot be fixed as an “off-the-shelf product”. He is becoming, changing and fluid. Almost like a pump that Bruno Latour used to illustrate a non-human agent organizing a social network in the context of actor-network theory. B. Latour used the work by A. Mol and M. de Laet, who study the life of African villages (Latour, 2017). The focus of their study was a pump model common in the African villages – “The Zimbabwe Bush Pump (B Type)”. In comparison with other models, the Zimbabwe Bush Pump adapts to the type and shape of the soil where it is installed. From here, B. Latour concluded about the fluidity of the identity of ARTUR DYDROV – REGINA PENNER Argumentos de Razón Técnica, nº 25, 2022, pp. 235-254 240 agents that are able to adapt to changing environmental conditions. The identity of ANT agents, as well as other objects of queer research, is changeable, multiple, flexible and adaptive. Today we state that there is a computer and digital technologies, and a person remains with them. Contemporary person, living in the digital space, in order to remain a person should reflect on the digital and build a discourse about it. Below are various cases from the social sphere where we can observe the influence of digital. From information to impact content “Content” has acquired a terminological status in connection with the spread of network technologies that provide user access to information. It should be understood that the word itself arose out of any connection with information technology trends and is actually polysemantic: at the same time, it means “capacity”, “volumen”, “pleasure”, “essence”, etc. In the terminological status, “content” refers to the sphere of meaning, not format. In this regard, the correlation of flood or spam with content can be called into question, not without reason. Apparently, this question does not have an unambiguous answer due to the difference between optics and research approaches. The term “content” functions, one way or another, in the classical binary logic of form and content, but the semiosis of the word goes beyond the boundaries of traditional logical schematism, which provokes a well-known collision. “Impact”, of course, is not an application to the term, but indicates its functionality and potential. Content literally “influences”, but is actually built into marketing programs (and, more broadly, suggestive practices). Obviously, this can be traced in the case of advertising, political and ideological actions, but suggestion is only a special case of influence. The potential impact THE PROBLEM OF DISCOURSE IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL Argumentos de Razón Técnica, nº 25, 2022, pp. 235-254 241 of Internet content, apparently, is much more multifaceted and does not come down to purposeful suggestion. In addition to the “screaming” content (“get”, “win”, “vote”, etc.), there is content that, at a first approximation, has a strictly defined entertainment functionality. In the study by Sophia Tikhonova and Denis Artamonov “Historical memory in social media” philosophers have outlined a range of problems associated not only with broadcasting, but with the production of new knowledge, new methodology and research optics in principle. In particular, the question “how to teach digital historians?” is formulated (Tichonova & Artamonov, 2021). This question should not be taken as an exploratory reservation or a hasty judgment; it formulates a well-founded presupposition, the production of historical knowledge is changing here and now. The Internet has already become an alternative archive (meta-archive) and a museum containing much more information than classical repositories. In addition, the network produces and reproduces historical knowledge, no matter how “inconsistent” this knowledge may seem in traditionalist optics. It is no coincidence that the chapters of the book are devoted to video games, memes and demotivators and other media formats that have complex functionality. In fact, the charge of impact content (often disguised as entertainment) needs research reflection in Internet Studies and a number of other scientific fields. This “entertaining” content (a specific trend that is associated with “cats”) can be both purely entertaining in the narrow-minded optics and informing (influencing) in the research one. It is outwardly paradoxical that the formation of digital literacy is hardly possible without the appropriate knowledge of “catsophy” – a complex set of memes and audiovisual formats that accommodates heterogeneous interpretations of current events and trends. Digital Literacy is not reducible to the technical side of things; in the context of digital ARTUR DYDROV – REGINA PENNER Argumentos de Razón Técnica, nº 25, 2022, pp. 235-254 242 literacy, a critical attitude to data becomes a necessary skill (Caverly et al., 2019). According to S. Tikhonova, the “cat revolution” on the Internet correlates with an indefinite, ever-changing spectrum of trends and events and actually forms clusters of interpretations of eventfulness. On a subjective level, many memes are “not funny” simply because they are incomprehensible and require a certain level of training and trend awareness from the consumer. As psychological studies show, the feline “packaging” of network newsmaking, in particular, plays the role of an absorbent and serves as an effective means of attracting attention (and not necessarily for suggestion). The content hidden behind the shell can be much more serious than the packaging itself. The last judgment is, in a certain sense, also true in the context of the formation of historical memory, dispersed in the microformats of the Internet and, traditionally, in books and audiovisual texts. History and historical memory from digital sources Digitalization and mediatization of culture have led to significant innovations not only in the field of storing information about the past (it is well known that the Internet performs, among other things, the function of storing data), but also in the practice of transforming the past. The latter can be interpreted, keeping in mind one of the parts of the famous literary formula: “who controls the present, controls the past.” The network, of course, does not implement the usual and historically early methods of control based on the principle of subordination and the functioning of punitive institutions. Instead of direct violence and orders (directives), there is an intensively spreading information “virus” that literally impresses the recipient. Memes, demotivators, gifs, and short THE PROBLEM OF DISCOURSE IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL Argumentos de Razón Técnica, nº 25, 2022, pp. 235-254 243 stories have – a couple of decades ago, this statement would have actually made no sense – the functionality of storing and broadcasting historical knowledge, as well as constructing images of the past. From what has been said, it does not follow that the indicated microformats have captured the Internet space – the speaker convincingly proved that the media industry has worked and is working along the line of “production” of the past. Meanwhile, they have an obvious advantage in speed: it takes much more time to create the same Indie game or the corresponding corporate product than to create a meme. In turn, microformats, as a rule, do not require significant resource costs from the user, in comparison with the production of a movie or the creation of a game. The “viral” nature of historical memory on the web is de facto associated with an avalanche of fake-making, that is, literally with the production of deliberately false “events”. There is nothing surprising in the fact that in the XXI century the problem of demarcation of reference and simulations of all orders has become aggravated (for example, the so-called “fact checking” is being updated). At the same time, the demonization of new memory practices significantly complicates possible tactical and strategic decisions on the integration of media content into functioning mechanisms of socialization. The same fake-making should not be evaluated solely in terms of manipulation and suggestion: in fact, this is one of the many user practices carried out both in the name of “memorial wars” and for entertainment (Artamonov & Tikhonova, 2022). Learning to work with “viral” formats and simulations of our time is one of the fundamentally important tasks of modern social science and the humanities. ARTUR DYDROV – REGINA PENNER Argumentos de Razón Técnica, nº 25, 2022, pp. 235-254 250 viewer. However, these experiences are different from those offered by their analog counterpart. To demonstrate the difference between them we can use the illustration with the robot. To a certain extent, the robot is an anthropomorphic tracing paper. Its movements are similar to those of a human, but they are different. This differentiation is rooted in their discreteness. The robot is discrete, the person is continual. “Trainspotting”, 1995, opens up a window into the world of Edinburgh in the 1990s, or rather, into the world of four drug addict friends. Each of them has their own relationship with the next dose of the drug: find, receive, refuse. Danny Boyle directs the moments of the emotional peak in the film through the exact combination of picture and music. The detox scene by Mark Renton (performed by Ewan McGregor), during which a child crawled on the ceiling, has become a cult in cinema world. Probably, its cult status is not only in the originality of the idea itself, but in the way it is executed, what it is aimed at. The viewer experiences deep fear and physical discomfort (up to bodily pain) along with the main character. “Avatar”, 2009, gives us a look at the planet Pandora. There is a house tree, blue cat-faced natives, and flying jellyfish. Babies don’t crawl on ceilings in real life either. But the thing is that Danny Boyle set the task of creating for us a window into the everyday life of a drug addict with his hallucinogenic experiences. It is possible that in these experiences there is a place for Pandora and the Na’vi (the name of the humanoid creatures from Avatar), but James Cameron did not create a hallucinogenic picture for the audience, he drew a fantasy image. With this image, the viewer cannot fully correlate himself, he does not experience the effect of psychological presence, he does not have the opportunity to open “his own” window. Therefore, in the line, analog – digital, cinema develops technologically, but can lose a subtle psycho-emotional and sensorimotor connection with the viewer. THE PROBLEM OF DISCOURSE IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL Argumentos de Razón Técnica, nº 25, 2022, pp. 235-254 251 Conclusion A wide range of problems are associated with the digital routine. These problems are permanently implemented by the integration of relevant technologies into everyday practices, science, economics, politics, and culture. These problems actualize the axiological, social, anthropological optics of research. Philosophy has faced new challenges in comprehending and conceptualizing the changing reality. Like science, philosophy cannot ignore political, economic and socio-cultural transformations, the essence and possible consequences of which have yet to be “grasped” in concepts. Ignoring digitalization is fraught with difficult-to-predict results, but, most likely, one of them could be the encapsulation of philosophical knowledge that functions on the “fuel” of the concepts of the past. The process of diffusion of knowledge and knowledge constructs that is gaining momentum is inevitable: the sciences of the 21st century (and the philosophical sciences in particular) are a metrically unrecordable set of sporadically intersecting domains with dynamic boundaries. In our opinion, the intensive process of mixing sciences does not provide sufficient grounds for alarmist sentiments: the uniqueness of philosophy and its special historical role can be preserved in the context of the digitalization of all spheres of life. However, they are unlikely to be preserved by conservation. References Alonso, A., & D’Antonio, S. (2021). Un breve esbozo de la filosofía de la tecnología y los estudios de Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad en España / A brief sketch of the philosophy of technology and the studies of Science, Technology and Society in ARTUR DYDROV – REGINA PENNER Argumentos de Razón Técnica, nº 25, 2022, pp. 235-254 252 Spain. 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