The Illusion of Presence: ontological limits of algorithmic mediation in contemporary subjectivity
Matheus Vinicius Duarte de Souza
PhilPapers (PhilPapers Foundation) April 24, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19737052 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Phenomenology philosophy Illusion Mediation Constitution Argument complex analysis Subject documents Lived experience Epistemology Ontology Contemporary theory Intersubjectivity Agency philosophy Contemporary philosophy Cognitive science Embodied cognition Object grammar |
| Key points | Argues that algorithmic mediation produces a structural illusion of connection that empties out the shared vulnerability necessary for genuine human bonds. |
Abstract
This essay examines the ontological limits of algorithmic mediation in the constitution of contemporary subjectivity. Drawing on the critiques of Han (2015, 2022), Zuboff (2019), and Turkle (2011), and grounded in the phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty (1945) and the enactivism of Di Paolo (2005) and Fuchs and De Jaegher (2009), the central argument holds that technical hyperconnectivity quantitatively expands contact between subjects while qualitatively emptying the shared vulnerability that constitutes the condition of possibility for genuine human bonds. It is proposed that algorithmically mediated presence produces a structural illusion: the subject experiences connection without genuine exposure, proximity without risk, and communication without encounter. The implications for psychological clinical practice, philosophy of mind, and the understanding of contemporary suffering are discussed throughout the text.Keywords: subjectivity; algorithmic mediation; presence; vulnerability; contemporary suffering; philosophy of mind.
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