Me, Myself And My Avatar: Meditations On Virtual Subjectivity

Abstract

In this dissertation, the possible impacts of the virtual experiences (projected to become available in the future) on subjectivity are theorized and explored. I begin by outlining the development of the technologies related to the Internet, from static web to the anticipated introduction of virtual web, providing a brief description of the technological tools that have already emerged and are in the process of being developed. Through analyses from diverse perspectives, including critical, psychoanalytic, and existential-phenomenological traditions, the goal is to provide an overview of the existing knowledge of the impacts of the static and dynamic web on the user subjectivity as well as to consider the differences in approaches to the question of subjectivity within the online worlds. Drawing on this knowledge, I explore the potential impacts on subjectivity that the introduction and use of virtual web, and the metaverse in particular, will have. The new technologies bring many opportunities and can enhance users’ experiences in diverse ways, which I discuss along with some of the anticipated problematic influences on subjectivity as a result of relying on the new technologies. The theorization of the variety of possibilities of the future development of the virtual web technologies and their impacts on subjectivities is aided by the introduction of the concept of meta-subjectivity.