DID WE LOSE THE CULTURAL AND CIVILIZATIONAL BATTLE?

Cybercapitalism, through its pervasive influence at both the subpersonal and symbolic levels, presents a formidable challenge to the traditional pillars of autonomy, cultural identity, and civilizational agency. The complex interplay between technology and human cognition suggests that individuals are increasingly being driven by automated, subconscious impulses shaped by sophisticated algorithms, which often leads to the unsettling conclusion that we are, in many respects, operating as “automatic robots” under a system that prioritizes engagement and consumption above human flourishing. Does this mean that humanity has definitively “lost” its cultural and civilizational battle?

At the subpersonal level, cybercapitalism has indeed co-opted mechanisms of human cognition in ways that bypass traditional forms of agency. The algorithmic manipulation of attention, real-time feedback loops, and other attention-capturing techniques exploit our neural pathways, establishing a feedback system in which engagement becomes increasingly automated and less reflective. This creates a dependency loop where individuals are drawn to digital platforms not by active choice but through patterns of unconscious reinforcement, arguably eroding the foundations of autonomous decision-making.

This exploitation challenges the Enlightenment ideal of the rational, autonomous individual, replacing reflective agency with algorithmically-determined responses. If humanity’s cultural strength is measured by its ability to cultivate reflective, self-aware individuals, then this erosion of agency at the subpersonal level does suggest a kind of “loss.”

L. Poenaru

Oct. 03, 2024

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