BASIC DEFINITIONS OF THE CONCEPT OF DIGITAL BODY IN DIGITAL STUDIOS

Abstract

The article analyzes the concept of "digital body" used in digital studies. Digital studies are an interdisciplinary project to study digital reality as a socio-cultural phenomenon and combines cultural, anthropological, sociological, psychological and philosophical research. The concept of the "digital body" needs to be explained and clearly defined, with appropriate reliance on the methodology of digital studies. The theoretical and methodological basis for the definition of the digital body lies in the postmodernist critique of the classical idea of the body and the corporeality and the deconstruction of the corporeality as a stable physical object, with a corresponding understanding of it as a cultural construct. In Ukrainian humanities, the cultural phenomena of digital space are just beginning to be studied. These phenomena are being attributed as "digital," i.e., as having a digital nature and being virtual; similar phenomena are digital space, digital consciousness, digital body, etc. The use of the adjective "digital" indicates the nature of the phenomenon, its digital substance, i.e., it is a virtual and informational sign that has acquired a life of its own. The author proposes a definition of the "digital body" based on a phenomenological approach, as a component of the experience of human presence in digital reality and its iconic representation on social networks and the Internet. Digital experience is a special type of experience that is associated with presence in the form of a profile, various activities ranging from creativity to commerce, and consumption of media content on the Internet. The heuristic value of the definition of the "digital body" allows for a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of social networks and human behavior and is part of the theoretical and methodological design of digital cultural studies and anthropology.