Digital Media as Ambient Therapy
The Ecological Self between Resonance and Alienation
Francis Russell
- 114 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Digital Media as Ambient Therapy
The Ecological Self between Resonance and Alienation
Francis Russell
About This Book
Digital Media as Ambient Therapy explores the ways "mental illness" can emerge from our relationships (with ourselves, others, and the world), to address the concern around what kind of relationality is conducive for "mental health" and what role digital technologies can play in fostering such relationality.
Exploring the rise of ambientâthat is to say, ubiquitous, surrounding, and environmentalâtechnologies and their impact on our understanding of "mental health, " sanity, and therapy, this book critically examines the work of influential contemporary social theorists such as Hartmut Rosa and investigates case studies that reveal new modes of digitally mediated intimacy and attention, such as ASMR and QAnon. It also poses the question of what "mental health" and "mental illness" mean for subjects increasingly faced with a maddening sense of interconnectedness.
This book offers new perspectives for academics and postgraduates interested in critical discussions of alienation, digital technology, and contemporary social theory.