Building a discourse about digital
Authors:   South Ural State University (National Research University), Dydrov Artur , Penner Regina ,   South Ural State University (National Research University)
Published: October 2022

Introduction. The subjects and actors of social re- ality have entered the digital age. This is expressed at several levels: first of all, in objects and technol- ogy, also at the level of everyday life of a modern person and social groups and worldview in general. A philosopher, like no one else, is capable of seeing such transformations and their subsequent reflec- tion. This reflection is carried out simultaneously in the bosom of classical social and humanitarian disciplines, including philosophy, sociology, cultural studies, for example, and in the space of new areas of scientific knowledge. Such a new discipline, the focus of which is digital, is digital anthropology. The article presents a summary of the speeches of the leading speakers of the methodological school “Digital Anthropology: Theoretical and Applied As- pects”, which took place in May 2022 at South Ural State University. The purpose of the article is to identify and to analyze possible directions of philosophical reflec- tion of the digital in the context of conceptualizing digital anthropology. Methods. The study is based on general scientific methods, analysis and synthesis, induction, deduc- tion, abstraction. The analysis of the speeches of the speakers of the methodological school “Digital Anthropology: Theoretical and Applied Aspects” was carried out primarily on the basis of the interpreta- tion method and systematic approach. Scientific novelty of the study. The article pre- sents specific steps in building a discourse about digital through analyzing the speeches by Russian philosophers and their subsequent discussion within the framework of the work of the methodo- logical school “Digital Anthropology: Theoretical and Applied Aspects”. Results. The exposition of speeches within the framework of the methodological section varied thematically from the ontological, anthropological and axiological aspects of digitalization to specific cases of Internet Studies. As part of the work of the methodological school, the following topics were presented: “The problem of values in digital culture” (Yury Yu. Vetutnev), “Impact content in social media” (Sophia V. Tikhonova), “Construction of ideas about the past in social media” (Denis S. Artamonov), “Repost and like as “alternatives” to traditional scientometrics” (Elena E. Chebo- tareva), “Value-semantic dimension of subjectivity: opportunities and threats of the digital society” (Sergey V. Borisov), “Digital literacy in conditions of surveillance capitalism and Network-centric war- fare” (Kirill E. Rezvushkin), “Feature films and digital technologies: the future of one illusion” (Taras A. Varkhotov). Conclusion. In the work of the methodological school, a wide range of problems related to digital everyday life was identified. These problems actual- ize the axiological, social, anthropological optics of research. All participants of the school showed from different perspectives that new tasks arose for philosophy to comprehend and conceptualize the changing reality. The philosopher, living in the digital space, is able to reflect on the digital and build a discourse about it. In our opinion, the con- cept of digital anthropology claims to take the place of such a discourse.