Abstract
Spatial media has received impetus in recent studies, arguing that its function as a mediator of meaning and enabler of intimacy are critical in late modernity. We suggest that spatial media not only liquefies key institutions of modernity but also replaces them. We conducted interviews with men who use spatial media to realize intimacy. In our analysis, we reference the fictional Star Trek universe to illustrate how spatial media may function as an institution. In the figure of the Borg, human-tech borders are eliminated, control is exerted through collective decisions, and bodies are assimilated into an expanding beehive-like community. Similarly, spatial media enables the liquefaction of human-tech borders, the creation of new sets of rules and hierarchies, and the assimilation of intimacy practices. We thereby conclude that digital media not only drive a process of liquefaction but also the forging of new institutional structures that condition the realization of intimacy.
Highlights
Spatial media has received impetus in recent studies, arguing that its function as a mediator of meaning and enabler of intimacy are critical in late modernity
Based on interviews with men who desire men1 about intimacy in this new landscape, we use the figure of the Borg in the TV series Star Trek to illustrate the complexity of intimacy formation in the 21st century
We have argued that technology in general, and spatial media in particular, resembles an institution of intimacy rather than a mere mediator or infrastructure
Summary
Spatial media has received impetus in recent studies, arguing that its function as a mediator of meaning and enabler of intimacy are critical in late modernity. The potential for individual development of intimacies in the Enterprise community resembles the outcome of the process of individualization in late modernity that key theorists such as Beck and Beck–Gernsheim (2002) and Bauman (2000) have put forward. They suggest that individuals are no longer bound by the traditions and institutions of modernity. Much recent inquiries into processes of individualization have highlighted that technology functions as a mediator of intimate relationships (Attwood et al, 2017; Cockayne et al, 2017; McGlotten, 2013) or an even further enhancer of the liquidation of bonds and commitments by enabling quick and commitment-free relations (Hobbs et al, 2017)
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