Definition and Implications of the Digital Near-Death Experience: A Theoretical Essay on Preliminary Empiricism
arXiv Preprint Archive October 22, 2021 Pedro Jacome de Moura
Leaving a major social networking platform like WhatsApp can be understood as a 'digital near-death experience,' a metaphor for the classic near-death experience. This theoretical essay proposes a definition and implications of this new concept, describing the process of canceling participation and the resulting alienation from data, actions, and decisions previously ceded to tech giants. The author grounds the narrative in personal experience and subjective perceptions of being outside the WhatsApp network. A research agenda for further study is also proposed. The propositions rest on assumptions that, if false, would invalidate the findings.