The Digitalisation of InterSubjectivity

by Jan de Vos

This book explores the responsibility of psychological and neuropsychological perspectives in relation to the digitalisation of inter-subjectivity. It examines how integral their theories and models have been to the development of digital technologies, and by combining theoretical and critical work of leading thinkers, it is a new and highly original perspective on (inter)subjectivity in the digital era. The book engages with artificial intelligence and cybernetics and the work of Alan Turing, Norbert Wiener, Marvin Minsky, Gregory Bateson, and Warren McCulloch to demonstrate how their use of neuropsy-theories persists in contemporary digital culture. The author aims to trace a trajectory from psychologisation to neurologisation, and finally, to digitalisation, to make us question the digital future of humankind in relation to the idea of subjectivity, and the threat of the ‘death-drive’ inherent to digitality itself. This volume is fascinating reading for students and researchers in the fields of critical psychology, neuroscience, education studies, philosophy, media studies, and other related areas.

222 pages, Paperback

Published December 18, 2020

Reviews

[Rossen Petkov · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly ground-breaking work merging the fields of psychology & technological studies. The propositions made by Jan de Vos as to the nature of our growingly digitalised, global society are a masterful symbiosis of seemingly unconnected dots, tracing the rise of digitalisation and modern life as we know it.
This book is a must-read for anyone investing time and energy into the analysis and counteraction to practices invoked by big corporations which have long been producing ideal images of complete and coherent subjectivities to the purpose of channeling human desire into the bottomless pit of capitalism.