Crisis of the digital subject

Abstract

In the late-modern horizon, new forms of digital alienation demand critical analysis that reflects on how knowledge-power structures impose performance models. One notable example of such work is Byung-Chul Han’s The Burnout Society, which he significantly refines in Infocracy. This article examines and critiques some key aspects of Han’s work, particularly his interpretations of Hannah Arendt—whom he engages in dialogue regarding highly technologized environments and the negative impact on human interaction—and Michel Foucault—whom he discusses in relation to self-imposed alienation and its continuity with classical disciplinary mechanisms. These perspectives raise the question of how to resist this new form of digital self-alienation. Contemporary digitalization, by blurring the boundaries between work and leisure, extends the logic of performance into all spheres of life, thereby eroding the subject’s depth and density. Furthermore, the selfimposition of success as an imperative generates a paradox: the very drive for optimization leads to existential exhaustion. In summary, this study advocates for a reevaluation of boredom as an alternative to hyperactivity, fostering time sanctuaries where a poiesis nourished by contemplation and attentive listening can emerge. It calls for a renewed perspective on society, embracing the dialogical dynamism of reality and resisting the compulsive tendencies embedded in the most detrimental forms of extreme performance optimization. Resisting the compulsion of performance entails reclaiming time for contemplation and listening, before the digital subject is consumed by the fatigue of their own optimization.