Hot media, technological transformation and the plague of the dark emotions
Erich Fromm, Viktor Frankl and the recovery of meaning1
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12778646 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Brady Li (0000-0002-5861-8757, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 379-392 |
| Publication date | 2018-12-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Explorations in Media Ecology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1539-7785 • E-ISSN: 2048-0717 |
| Publisher | Intellect (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1386/eme.17.4.379_1 |
| OpenAlex | W2911536755 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 2 |
This article takes the position that our contemporary overheated media environment lends itself to comfortable passivity, resulting in mental breakdown in the guise of the dark emotions: anxiety, melancholia and boredom. This is especially the case with the inevitable synergy of the upcoming technological transformations from genetic modification, virtual reality simulacra and artificial intelligence/robotics. After discussing the data from the World Health Organization regarding the stark increase of people across the globe suffering from depression and anxiety, this article weds the concepts of McLuhan’s hot–cool distinction with Fromm’s delineation of the productive character orientation. Following Fromm, this article argues that joy ensues from reason, productive labour and love–sorrow from ignorance, alienated work and indifference. When we wilfully abrogate our responsibilities to self and other via non-participational mediated forms, we cede away our potential for growth and development. This leads to the emotional breakdowns of guilt, boredom, anxiety and melancholia. Viktor Frankl’s logotherapeutic perspective is discussed as a counterbalance to the social effects wrought by our overheated technological environment. Frankl’s stress on phenomenological meaning as the cornerstone of existence provides a lens to understanding the affects of an over-reliance on technological gadgetry
Aesthetics · Boredom · Destiny (ISS module · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Cybernetics and Technology in Society · Digital Media and Philosophy · Humanities and Social Sciences · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.13 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2018 - 2018 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |