- Title
- Cyborg bodies and the search for self: an ethnographic exploration of supportive technologies as tools to mitigate daily distresses
- Creator
- Kibane, Lebogang Zandile
- ThesisAdvisor
- Henderson, Patricia C
- Subject
- Posthuman
- Subject
- Posthumanism
- Subject
- Anthropology
- Subject
- m-health
- Subject
- Wireless communication systems in medical care
- Subject
- Cyber-ethnography
- Subject
- Distress (Psychology)
- Date
- 2022-10-14
- Type
- Academic theses
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/408625
- Identifier
- vital:70510
- Description
- This dissertation explores the ways in which individuals embody cyborg realities through engaging with technological aids. It examines how these interactions have the potential to bring to light new ways of thinking about and experiencing daily distresses. Pertinent human technology interaction was observed through an overarching cyborg lens, embedded in posthumanist thought. The study began with a “human as cyborg” ontology that sought to impress upon readers the intimacy with which technology is entangled in our lives. It aimed to call to attention the use of the cyborg myth as it is concerned with “transgressed boundaries, potent fusions, and dangerous possibilities” (Haraway, 1985:7). The study followed a cyber ethnographic strategy, where cyber ethnography refers to a virtual research method that observes social and cultural phenomena that are mediated by online interactions. Data was collected over a period of eight months, beginning in December 2020 and ending in July 2021. It was collected through the following means: a short self-administered online questionnaire, computer mediated in-depth interviews, and group interviews. I also kept a journal on reflections of my own use of these supportive technologies. After analysing the results of in-depth interviews with nine primary participants and twenty-six online questionnaires, the following key themes were brought to light: Firstly, the tethered self, or cyborg self, engages in evolved acts of ‘care of the self’ mitigated through supportive technology use. Secondly, access to new technologies brings about new ways of performing the self. Thirdly, engagement with supportive technologies provides opportunity for aiding distress in the way of encouraging self-reflective and self-interrogation behaviours as seen in mobile health app use. This constant self-interrogation behaviour in turn develops a kind of technological dependency, characterized by escapism and evolved methods of self- soothing. Lastly, exploring the use of technology to aid distress revealed that technologies generate equal opportunities for improved well-being, as they do for a decreased sense of connectedness and security. The research demonstrates that supportive technology use is entangled in the fabric of our everyday lives. Through it we fashion our identities, alleviate distress, evade distress, and discover new causes of distress.
- Description
- Thesis (MSocSci) -- Faculty of Humanities, Anthropology, 2022
- Format
- computer, online resource, application/pdf, 1 online resource (98 pages), pdf
- Publisher
- Rhodes University, Faculty of Humanities, Anthropology
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Kibane, Lebogang Zandile
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)
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RU Department of Anthropology
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | KIBANE-MSCOSCI-TR22-277.pdf | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |