Thanatos and technology have bonded. The use of thanatechnologies through the rise and integration of internet services has seen death become part of media and computational logics. Social practices and conventions of death and grieving are moving online. Like with other aspects of mediatisation research, media-embedded processes driving social change are becoming the norm. The paper studies this procedural change on death - how big data services and applications are dealing with notions and possibilities of a computational afterlife.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Methodology
- Thanatology and Technology
- Death is in the Air
- Critical Data Companies
- Alphabet
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper explores the emerging field of thanatechnology, examining how big data services and applications are dealing with the notions and possibilities of a computational afterlife. It analyzes the social and cultural implications of this new phenomenon, particularly in relation to death, identity, and the ongoing integration of technology into our lives.
- The intersection of Thanatos (death) and technology in the digital age.
- The role of big data companies like Facebook and Google in shaping conceptions of death and the afterlife.
- The impact of cloud computing and algorithmic processing on our posthumous identities.
- The ethical challenges posed by the custodianship of our digital data after death.
- The influence of thanatechnology on social and cultural norms, including our understanding of self-authentication.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter sets the stage by introducing the concept of thanatechnology and its significance in the context of big data and the 'third wave' of the internet. It highlights the changing relationship between technology, death, and our evolving social practices.
- Methodology: This chapter outlines the paper's methodological approach, drawing upon critical data studies and a phenomenological analysis of Jungian ideas about death, existence, imagination, and meaning. It emphasizes the need for an interdisciplinary framework to understand thanatechnological media possibilities.
- Thanatology and Technology: This chapter explores the concept of Thanatos, contrasting Freud's and Jung's perspectives on death and its significance. It connects thanatology to archetypal symbolism and existential phenomenology, arguing that death is an imaginative construct that shapes our understanding of the Self.
- Death is in the Air: This chapter investigates the impact of big data on our relationship with death. It examines the implications of cloud computing and algorithmic processing for our posthumous identities and the potential for a technological singularity.
- Critical Data Companies: This chapter provides case studies of two critical data companies, Alphabet (Google) and Facebook, highlighting how their services and practices contribute to the shaping of a computational afterlife. It analyzes the challenges and ethical considerations associated with the ownership and management of our digital data after death.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The central keywords and focus topics in this paper include thanatechnology, big data, computational afterlife, new media research, critical data studies, cloud computing, algorithmic processing, data ownership, privacy, and the social and cultural implications of death in the digital age.
- Quote paper
- Henry Appleyard (Author), 2017, Computing After Lives. The Bonding of Thanatos and Technology, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/386557
