Digital Anthropology Research Articles

Human Anthropometric Indicators for the Preparation of Simulation Models

Normal human anthropometric parameters are used in the development of medical rehabilitation techniques, in the performance of surgical techniques used for normal human functioning. In order to perform these operations successfully, it is necessary to model normal human physical characteristics and, based on these models, perform the operations correctly. Normal anatomical characteristics have a positive effect on the physiological state of the person. The relevance of the research stimulates the development of the science of valeology and increases the relevance and practical significance of the topic. Prosthetics of organs lost in wars and accidents are also performed on the basis of computer models. The science of digital anthropology is modeling human anthropometrics, and practically important predictions are being made based on this modeling. Digital anthropology is based on the research of modern technology to compile a database of the most diverse anthropological indicators of people. Anthropology occupies a special place in the system of scientific knowledge about the world, because it is a field of science that studies the origin, development and role of humans in nature and society. In modern medicine, mathematical and graphic modeling of human anatomical and anthropological indicators is required in all fields. Anthropometric indicators of humans are taken as the basis in surgery, military science, sports. The structure of shoulders, diaphragm, hips, face, and the age of a human being can also be defined by these anthropometric indicators.

New forms of home blindness: Rethinking fieldwork methods in digitalized environments

Digital Anthropology has in the past two decades emerged as a field that seeks to better grasp experiences of being human within digital technology and culture. However, digital technology is today so entangled in everyday practices that it gives as little meaning to single it out as a specific field of inquiry as it does to leave it out. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Norway, one of the most digitalized countries in the world, we argue that the ubiquity of the digital re-actualizes classic debates in the discipline on ‘home blindness’ emerging from the methodological challenges of doing fieldwork in familiar surroundings. We argue that building on methodological and analytical perspectives from the home blindness debate can help us better understand what it means to be human in digital environments.

Cultures of Artificial Intelligence. AI Assemblages and the Transformations of Everyday Life

Artificial Intelligence is one of the keywords of our time, and AI systems are currently initiating numerous transformations in various areas of everyday life. How can cultural anthropology at the interface with digital anthropology contribute to understanding these transformations and to shaping social and cultural negotiation processes around AI? To answer this question, this article develops the concept of AI assemblages, which aims to illuminate the dynamics of sociotechnical relations between human and more-than-human actors or elements surrounding AI systems. Assemblage thinking allows to reflect upon and describe numerous ‘small’ transformations of everyday life connected to AI without uncritically reproducing grand narratives of sociotechnical change and upheaval. On a more general level, analyzing AI assemblages is a way to study cultures of AI, that is, to study “a whole way of life” (Williams) in which routines, relationships, and cultural orders are increasingly shaped by AI systems. Three examples illustrate this perspective: AI assemblages in memory culture (virtual survivor testimonies in Holocaust remembrance), in popular culture (social media and their algorithms), and in academic culture (generative AI in academic research and teaching).

Digital Anthropology Manifesto

The manifesto format was not chosen by chance. As a rule, manifestations are not acceptable in the scientific community and are practiced to proclaim a new order of things. Historically, social groups have declared their intentions in manifestos of various kinds. This circumstance is also true for contemporary cases such as manifestos of cyborgs, hackers, “Evolution 2045”, etc. Digital anthropology as a subject of manifestation looks anomalous, since it is not related to the interests of a specific social group or force. The intentions of the authors of this manifesto are to proclaim an alternative to the scientific research mainstream. The subject area and thesaurus of digital anthropology historically began to take shape in the Western countries. Due to qualitative and quantitative empirical research, the network has become a kind of analogue of a “field” for the study of behavioral practices, the specifics of thinking, and mythology that makes its way into virtual communication and Internet content. In an attempt to maintain ideological continuity with ethnographic and field research, digital anthropology ignored the conceptual and generalizing statement about a person. The latter was formed in the discourse of philosophical anthropology, not only a historical philosophical movement, but also a current field of knowledge that produces reflexive generalized knowledge about human beings. In the manifesto, the subject of digital anthropology is significantly clarified, and its definition is also given as a result of the reassembly of the subject.

Insan Kamil and Homo Deus: A Pinnacle of Human Existence in the Digital Era

The human civilization in the current digital era is marked by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and reflective thought on human existence. This article aims to examine and to compare the pinnacle of human existence in the digital era from the perspectives of Muhammad Iqbal and digital anthropology. The issues discussed are the concepts of Insan Kamil in Iqbal and Homo Deus in digital anthropology, as well as the similarities and differences. The method used is library research with philosophical approach. The data obtained is analyzed qualitatively and comparatively. The results of this article include: the pinnacle of human existence, in Iqbal’s perspective, is understood as Insan Kamil, which is the best representation of divine vicegerent. Meanwhile, in digital anthropology, it can be understood as Homo Deus, which is human surpassing traditional biological limitations and approaching divine characteristics. Both perspectives share similarities in motivation to enhance well-being of humanity, recognizing evolution of human life, understanding the unlimited potential of each individual, and emphasizing the importance of obedience to laws and ethics. Whereas the differences emerge in applicability, religious aspects, achievement foundations, views on God, and the stance on digital technology use. Practically, this discussion raises indecision among practitioners due to the development and utilization of technology clearly separating these concepts. The recommendation for further research is alternative theories that bridge these intersecting ideas.

Social accessibility in queering code/space: Blued-based visibility and social practices of local gay people in mainland China.

As a locative media, Blued articulates physical and digital space in the form of localization, giving a mediated visibility to its users who are not visible in physical space, thus making the city a queering code/space. This can transform social accessibility and the ways that gays come together and interact in local spaces. Taking mainland China, dominated by heteronomativity, as a field, this paper focuses on the visibility negotiation and social accessibility practices in Blued-based queering code/space. Using the digital anthropology method, this study found that Blued-based visibility is essential for non-closeted gay men to gain a sense of local belonging and community inclusion. Offline accessibility is a crucial demand for Blued users, but until then they have negotiated visibility through selective disclosure of social cues. At the same time, Blued users face visibility asymmetries and risks in the pursuit of accessibility. This study then argues that in the Blued-based queering code/space, the gay men constantly reconcile accessibility with others by managing visibility in a heteronormative urban space. In addition, this paper highlights the value of the hybrid of new media and physical space for the public interaction of marginalized groups in the city.

Mixed methods for digital anthropology: a report on the analysis of Bolsonarist groups on the Telegram platform

Resumo Diante da plataformização de tantas formas de interação social, a antropologia digital tem lidado com novos desafios ético-metodológicos. Neste artigo, exploramos como o aprendizado e o uso de métodos mistos (quanti-quali) podem contribuir para o fazer antropológico no estudo de sistemas complexos como as plataformas digitais. Trazemos neste artigo um estudo de caso no qual demonstramos como pudemos observar as mensagens mais compartilhadas entre os usuários de mais de 200 grupos de extrema direita presentes no Telegram no dia 8 de janeiro de 2023. Baseados na experiência de testes e aplicações de novas metodologias multidisciplinares que relacionam as ciências da tecnologia da informação e a antropologia social, buscamos realizar análises amostrais do evento político ocorrido em Brasília. Assim, refletimos sobre as implicações éticas desses novos métodos e concluímos reforçando a importância do aprimoramento e a necessidade de revisões éticas que permitam o uso de métodos mistos no fazer da antropologia digital.

Special Issue: Digital Truth-Making: Anthropological Perspectives on Right-wing Politics and Social Media in "Post-truth" Societies

How do users of social media platforms produce, shape and share truths online? In this introduction, we outline our understanding of digital truth-making as a process that builds on the affordances of digital infrastructures to entangle information with social, cultural and emotional dynamics in a way that co-constitutes beliefs and convictions about the world. The contributions to the special issue illuminate how different variations of this process can be illuminated with the help of digital ethnography and additional empirical methods. In doing so, they exemplify how digital anthropology can contribute to ongoing debates about populism and right-wing politics in “post-truth” digital societies.

"Truthy" and "Sticky" Narratives of Euroscepticism: Narratological Approaches to Appropriateness in Digital Contexts

This article addresses markers of plausibility and felicity in Eurosceptic narratives on social media that are not based on facts but on sociocultural and contextual appropriateness. Appropriateness is understood here as the contextual fit for specific audiences which includes a range of social and situational factors involved in judgements about the conventionality and propriety of statements. I investigate the construction of appropriateness on Twitter, taking a narrative on the National Health Service in the context of Brexit as an example. I show how Eurosceptic narratives on social media become “truthy” and “sticky”, and how conditions of appropriateness are constructed on Twitter. I bring together approaches from narratology and digital anthropology to show how social media posts in political debate follow distinct evaluation criteria.

Do I Belong on TikTok? Algorithimography and Self-Making

Building on works in digital anthropology, belonging, and self-making, this article delves into physiological aspects of digital lifeworlds. Through collaborative ethnography the author worked with their sibling and the TikTok Ethnography Collective (TEC) to explore TikTok’s utility as a site of self-discovery and learning. From the processes which unfold during the collaboration, a fledgling methodology of algorithmography emerges and is developed through the article. The use of digital ethnographic methods mediated the relationship between the author and their sibling, opening an exploration into self-making practices on TikTok. Building on recent literature around TikTok and self-making, (Bimo and Bhandari 2022), and through “Tik-Talks'' with the author’s sister which centre on multiple forms of diagnoses with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (HEDS), this article examines TikTok’s capacity and shortcomings as a place where one can learn to belong against the grain of neoliberal and capitalist cultures.

The Digital Turn in Business Anthropology

This essay examines the emerging “digital turn” in business anthropology, a phenomenon propelled by the increasing prevalence and influence of digital technologies. Despite the significant underrepresentation of digital anthropology in current literature within the Journal of Business Anthropology, its relevance to the traditionally focused areas of organizational culture, marketing, consumer research, advertising, and user experience is irrefutable, given the rapid digitalization of the business landscape. By exploring evidence of the “digital turn” and the potential for digital anthropology to overtake design anthropology as a dominant paradigm, this essay advocates for integrating digital anthropology into the professional discourses and research practices of business anthropologists. It highlights the capacity of digital anthropology to equip practitioners with the necessary tools and perspectives to navigate and respond effectively to the ever-evolving digital landscape. Furthermore, the essay delves into the potential of emerging digital technologies, such as AI, to revolutionize anthropological research and practice. Simultaneously, it underscores the entrepreneurial opportunities available to founder anthropologists, specifically by productizing anthropological knowledge and methods. However, practitioners must also acknowledge and address significant challenges such as the rapid pace of digital transformation, privacy and ethical considerations, and the risk of introducing machine bias into the research process. In conclusion, the essay posits that the emerging “digital turn” in business anthropology offers substantial opportunities that will shape the discipline in the coming years, warranting its inclusion by practitioners and academics alike.

Transmedia discourse in the digital age: exploring radical intertextuality, audiovisual hybridization, and the "aporia" of homo medialis

This article explores the evolution of transmedia discourse, a trend that emerges from the interplay between technological advancements and the modern individual's worldview, and its impact on contemporary media practices. The study focuses on the principles of radical intertextuality in convergent and television journalism, demonstrating how these principles contribute to the development of performativity, extraction, media symbiosis, and hybridization processes in screen arts. Additionally, the article delves into multimodal storytelling techniques, shedding light on the increasing demand for non-linear narratives and aesthetic models. The analysis concludes with an examination of the "aporia" of homo medialis within the context of digital anthropology, emphasizing the need for a better understanding of the human experience and identity in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape. The results of this investigation provide valuable insights for media scholars, industry professionals, and educators, with a focus on adapting to and leveraging the ever-shifting media landscape.

Language of Existential Experience of a Person in the Digital Age

The article presents the problem of the existential feasible in the digital. The relevance of the problem is gaining weight in the so-called digital age, when the objectives in the human world are represented by technology and the technological. The following questions from the 20th century are becoming relevant again: the relationship between a person and technology; the future of a person and technology; the human / existential in the context of multiplying technology. In the 21st century, the digital can be seen as a cluster of external objectivity in the everyday life. The article raises questions about how the talk about the existential dimension in the digital age is possible; whether there are grounds of speaking about the dynamics of human existential conditions in the process of intensification of everything that is called digital today; and if yes, then in what format and with what language. Given these questions, we understand the digital as a special topos of human existence, a space of manifestation, “highlighting” the existential, which can be comprehended and conceptualized. In the digital age the human being remains, same as his/her existentials. In the markup of the digital, both the individual and the existentials are subject to serious transformation. This is illustrated by digital subjects, digital twins, digital traces/prints, which have an effect on the individual and his/her existential filling. From this we deduce the idea of digital anthropology as a new research field.

Information Warfare and Digitalization of Politics in a Globalized World

Online media of digital methodology has transformed human behaviors from sociocultural and political backing, interest, and participation to sharing supposition or resistance and has transfigured the approach of interaction and thinking—a serious issue for digital anthropology that centeres on internet-related changes of social marvels, a configuration of chaotic pluralism. With the prime argument that digital social media platforms implant feebleness, insecurity, and instability into social and political life, this paper investigates the risks that online media impose on democracy. Based on auxiliary secondary data, the methodology incorporates qualitative verifiable, and analytical methods. The paper's findings contend that the politico-techno-driven political economy of digital innovation has chopped social and democratic institutions and has destabilized worldwide social relations and politics, democracy has been fumed, stormed, and hacked. Social media has created a modern world order of amazing befuddling filter bubble impact where cyber-violence is misogynistic--social media is just like a redirection of Chinese whispers. Subsequently, with, private on-screen characters, governments' data dispersal, and so-called security and safeguarding of citizens' democratic rights, allegorically, George Orwell’s nightmare of 'Animal Farm' unfurling. In a bourgeois populist science of the 'digital panopticon' of technological colonialism, state surveillance, and bourgeois information, humankind is becoming more divided and unsecured and in the future citizens' will be deprived of numerous sociopolitical rights. Future people may fade under the pressure of high-tech colonialism which concurs with the normalization approach that 'offline field' powerful people are powerful 'online' too. Upcoming democracy is probable to be a discreetly 'high-hat' elitist endeavor. Current endeavors and legislations are romanticized as a glass half empty with very few tools to control cyberspace. It is pivotal to invigorate and fortify citizens’ digital agency and self-determination in society, politics, well-being, and economy, otherwise, societies/countries are probable to be more totalitarian.

Cognitive artifacts of the metuniverse

The article describes the cognitive artifacts of the metaverse within the framework of digital anthropology. Their role in the formation of a new social environment is investigated. Conceptual definitions of a cognitive artifact based on the theory of L.S. Vygotsky and his follower M. Cole. The forms of response by users of digital ecosystems to the spread of the influence of technology in society have been studied and the difference in this response has been stated. The reasons for this different response, due to structural changes in society, are shown. Attention is paid to the influence of cognitive artifacts of the metaverse on the perception of the consequences of emerging technological trends. It is stated that the modification of technological determinism in the form of metaverses contains different intentions of individual consciousness. This is due to the fact that the classical Internet is gradually giving way to new communication technologies, in which avatars, digital twins and immersive space plays an important role.

Digital anthropology: theoretical foundation and search for new human models

Digital anthropology: theoretical foundation and search for new human models

Dhamma Sermon and Popular Buddhism within the Confront of Digitization

Along with era 4.0 digitalization involves several aspects of modern social context and religion is one of the prominent. When it comes to Sri Lankan popular Buddhism numerous changes can be identified through digital platforms like social media. This research attends to understand the evolutionary patterns of Buddhist Dhamma sermons by applying two cases selected from Facebook. Attaragama Pragyalankara Thero, also known as “Kotuwe Podi Hamuduruwo” is a key figure which emphasizes the characteristics of modern popular Buddhism. Two posts regarding his propagation of Dhamma browsed through random Facebook pages applied to understand the characteristics of the modern evolutionary process of Buddhism. The main objective of this study is to introduce a new-found model for digital religious studies by utilizing digital anthropological knowledge to understand the digital behavior of Sri Lankan religious contexts. For the analysis of this phenomenon, the researcher applied the 5th principle of digital anthropology named, ambivalence, and the principle of openness and closure, proposed by Daniel Miller and Heather Horst in 2012 through their work titled, “Digital Anthropology”. Different patterns in language, as well as variations compared to traditional Dhamma sermons identified through literature, were identified from the data collected from the relevant posts. As an examination based on qualitative data, this research considered various literature to fulfill the research gap. One of the key conclusions that arise from the research is that digital anthropological knowledge is a way to understand modern popular Buddhism. Comparing traditional customs with modern-day and analyzing them utilizing digital anthropological principles emphasize the evolutionary patterns of contemporary Dhamma sermons.

Muslim-Christian Conflict and the Rise of Laskar Jihad: Tracing Islamophobia in Central Sulawesi – Indonesia

<p>This anthropological research investigates Muslim-Christian conflict and the rise of Laskar Jihad that affects Islamophobia in Central Sulawesi. Islamophobia appeared on the global political surface after the 9/11 tragedy, taking the world's attention to Muslim society. However, we cannot argue that, in recent decades, the media have depicted Muslim culture as backward, uneducated, bad, radical, terrorist, or with all negative images. Even so, Islam is often associated as a religion that supports violence and war. These illustrations depict Islamophobia as a global political threat. However, Islamophobia occurs not only in Western countries, but also in Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. This research explores the phenomenon of Islamophobia in Indonesia. The study focuses primarily on the island of Sulawesi, where the rise of Laskar Jihad organizations, Muslim-Christian conflict, violent extremism, and Islamophobia are interrelated. This research is based on an anthropological approach for which the author conducted fieldwork in Central Sulawesi. Data collection was also taken from online media that can be understood as digital anthropology. In addition, this research paper examines the theory of prejudice. Prejudice is discussed based on facts, but also from perceptions, actions, language, symbols, and the media, to individuals or groups. The research findings show that the first element of Islamophobia in Central Sulawesi is associated with the Muslim-Christian dispute in the late 1990s. Islamophobia's second element relates to the transnational Islamic movement and the rise of Laskar Jihad after reformation.</p>

Pécs Chatter. A Digital Anthropological Study on the Impact of a Facebook Group on Local Politics

Abstract Research on the political role of digital media, including social media, is often based on the assumption that new communication platforms can contribute to new forms of political participation such as taking part in deliberative political debates more actively and exercising the right to vote more often. Most of the studies focus on national processes: nationwide political campaigns and general elections. In this paper, we offer a different angle on these issues, focusing on a specific locality, more specifically the activities of a politically themed local Facebook group in a middle-sized town in Hungary. We also apply a digital anthropology approach that enables us to use a hybrid methodology combining online and offline tools in our research design. Results are presented in this paper in a research report format. We are far from a final conclusion about the interplay of social media use and political activity, but hopefully the experiences we share will shed some light on the functioning of these types of online communities.

Populist infrastructures: The aesthetics and semiotics of how obras do politics in Lima, Peru

AbstractObrismo, or the exchange of public works projects (obras) for popular goodwill, is a fixture of politics in Latin America. In Lima, Peru, various politicians use aesthetic‐semiotic forms like bright colors and snappy hashtags to highlight their concrete contributions to municipal governance. This article examines the specific aesthetic and semiotic operations behind the political alchemy that aims to transform material infrastructures into popular legitimacy. Through digital anthropology of social media, I argue that the aesthetics of obras reveal a populist logic underpinning how infrastructures do politics in Lima. I also suggest that using aesthetic forms to articulate a political constituency like “the people” is a fundamentally unstable political practice. Through colors and hashtags, obras that promise popular legitimacy may instead be resignified, resulting in widespread disapproval. This article therefore uncovers the open‐ended populist possibilities of obras to underscore the need to collectively rethink how populism and infrastructures operate in Latin American politics, online and offline.