There is a compelling argument within “The Mediated Construction of Social Reality” by Nick Couldry & Andreas Hepp, exploring our reliance on digital media and our reaction to its failures.

“We feel the costs viscerally: when ‘our’ media break down –we lose internet connection, our password stops working, we are unable to download the latest version of software required by the device or function we want to use –it is as if the social infrastructure were itself, in some respect, breaking down: recursivity has been interrupted, ontological security becomes threatened.”

Though the argument is somewhat underdeveloped, evidenced by the “in some respect” clause, it remains a crucial and thought-provoking one. This notion raises intricate questions regarding our integration with and dependence on digital mediums as extensions of our social infrastructures.

Are we, perhaps, overlooking the deeper ramifications of this symbiotic relationship, and might there be existing qualitative research delving into the implications of such experiences, shedding light on the unexplored aspects of our mediated existence?

#MediatedRealities #OntologicalSecurity

---