Alive in Social Media

by Laurent François

When we send a message on a social network from our smartphones, it is not just an exchange of raw, disembodied information: it is a condensation of emotions, expectations, and desires. Three little dots appear as we type, giving substance to our interlocutors, as if we could feel them behind the screen. This technological and human revolution has given birth to digital liveness - the quality or state of being alive - which raises questions about our identities and the future construction of our beings. A new era begins where, to love and to live, one must exist online. This essay offers a definition of this liveness, analyzing how the digital world has become so alive thanks to social networks, while also providing an initial framing of this battlefield, where liveness could very well become a new and highly unequal form of capital.