Introduction: The Dialogical Self in a Global and Digital Age

Abstract

This chapter discusses self and identity in context of an evolution toward a global and digital society. The notions of space and dialogue are closely related. In its broadest sense, a dialogue can be conceived of as an act of interchange between two or more positions that are located in an imagined or real space. The existence of positions or, in more dynamic terms, of a process of positioning and repositioning, touches the difference between logical and dialogical relations. As participating in the collective voices of society and culture at large, some voices have more social power than others, with the result that some voices are neglected, suppressed, or just not heard. Due to increased mass transportation, television, newspapers, tourism, Internet, and e-mail, people increasingly live in a situation of cultural complexity. The spread of technology and its associated cultural complexity have an important implication for the process of dialogue. Increasingly, people find themselves in a situation of “mediated dialogue”.