Digital Existence - the Modern Way to Be

Abstract

This is an interpretative viewpoint blending perspectives to form a composite view of digital existence. The paper uses philosophy, sociology and linguistics within an ethnographic framework of contrasting cultural and cultural artefact views. Digital being and the relationship between physical and virtual are discussed. Evidence suggests acceptance of the virtual world as a location of coexistence. How technology has merged with humans so that humans have become more than their organic selves is examined. In a virtual world, digital existence is achieved through Daseinian avatars and so the concept of self is explored. There then follows a broader discussion about the online world which leads into how these new technologies become accepted by individuals and society. The influence of mass media is considered in this context. This is followed by a short analysis of the vocabulary used to describe the online world. The paper ends with a call to rethink how to view and react to the online world. Existing positions are challenged as being inappropriate given the analysis undertaken.