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BY-NC-ND 4.0 license Open Access Published by De Gruyter Open Access December 31, 2018

Human, not too Human: Technology, Rites, and Identity

  • Stefania Operto EMAIL logo
From the journal Open Information Science

Abstract

In the social sciences, the term “rite” identifies a set of practices and knowledge that contribute to forming the cultural models of a given society and has the aim of transmitting values and norms, institutionalization of roles, recognition of identity and social cohesion. This article examines the relationship between technology and ritual and the transformations in society resulting from the diffusion of new technologies. Technological progress is not a novelty in human development; though it is the first time in the history of humanity that technology has pervaded the lives of individuals and their relationships. The analyses conducted seem to show that the ritual is not intended to disappear but to change; to change forms and places. Postmodern societies have undergone profound modifications, but the conceptual category of ritual continues to be applicable to many human behaviors and it would be a mistake to support the idea that rituals are weakening.

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Received: 2018-01-22
Accepted: 2018-09-24
Published Online: 2018-12-31
Published in Print: 2018-12-31

© by Stefania Operto, published by De Gruyter

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

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