On Tertiary Retentions and Digital Sedimentations
Saulius Geniušas · 2024
The chapter explores the transformative effects of digital technologies on individual and collective consciousness through the lens of Bernard Stiegler&s;s concept of tertiary retentions. It examines how digital technologies, as an advanced form of alphabetic writing augmented by the decimal system, disrupt traditional modes of knowledge transmission and reality perception. The digital age is characterized by the displacement of direct experiential access to reality, replaced by digitally mediated experiences that shape consciousness through preprogrammed narratives and algorithmically imposed information. This process interrupts the formation of primary and secondary retentions, leading to a new regime of digital sedimentations that challenge the processes of psychic and collective individuation. The chapter also delves into the implications of these changes for human autonomy and the potential for resistance against the encroaching automatism of digital society, emphasizing the need for critical engagement with digital technologies to preserve the integrity of human experience and individuation.