For the last few years, the intensive use of digital social networks has caused us to be confronted with imaginary worlds and the experiences of others, our contemporaries. Every day we are faced with their changing moods, their fears and their hopes, we discover their cultural and political references and their artistic choices. All of this leads us to share and, in a way, become ‘as one’ with others. We feel as if we are part of a big family of ‘Friends’, with tastes which are often both similar and diverse. This virtual proximity generates a strong feeling of empathy within us for individuals whom we have never met ‘in real life’ and for whom we feel moved when learning about their various little adversities, anxieties and dislikes. These multiple possibilities for digital contact have widened the scope of our human relationships while also potentially restricting the quality of these relationships by diluting them through numbers. Overall, though, it seems that these multiple contacts (which feel both distant and near in terms of exchanging thoughts and ideas) allow us to comprehend a kind of collective thought process, a ‘group spirit’ which, in the long run, helps us begin thinking of others, taking care of our fellow creatures and developing a sort of empathy which, before the use of these social networks, was reserved for our closest relatives or friends. For that matter, the use of the word ‘Friends’ by Facebook (one of the most important social networks) to refer to our contacts was not an innocent choice in regard to building this notion of empathy! But be careful: more than half a century ago, George Orwell warned us about Big Brother. For the time being, only our ‘Friends’ are watching and listening to us!
René Licata
/ Nils Aziosmanoff