Definition:
A resonance space is a dynamic area of interaction in which individuals or systems not only perceive, but also react affectively and actively to their environment and interact with it. Based on Hartmut Rosa’s concept of resonance, this space encompasses both the ability to be ‘touched’ or affected by the environment and the capacity to respond to this affect and influence the environment in turn.
Discussion:
The resonance space adds an active, transformative dimension to the concept of the perceptual space. While the perception space primarily emphasises the receptive side of the experience, the resonance space also includes the responsive and interactive component.
In his work ‘Resonance: A Sociology of World Relations’, Hartmut Rosa (2016) developed the idea that meaningful experiences and a good life are characterised by resonant relationships with the world. This resonance manifests itself in a reciprocal influence between the subject and the world that goes beyond mere perception.
In the context of digital technologies, we can identify various forms of resonance spaces:
- Digital resonance spaces:
Digital platforms and social media create new forms of resonance spaces. In her concept of ‘affective public spheres’, Papacharissi (2015) argues that digital media create spaces in which emotions and affects can circulate and trigger collective action. These digital resonance spaces enable individuals to react to and influence each other across geographical and temporal boundaries. - Hybrid resonance spaces:
The increasing fusion of digital and physical space leads to the emergence of hybrid resonance spaces. De Souza e Silva (2006) coined the term ‘hybrid spaces’ to describe the overlapping of physical and digital interactions. In these hybrid resonance spaces, real actions and digital communication can seamlessly intertwine and reinforce each other. - Artificial resonance chambers:
With the development of advanced AI systems, new forms of artificial resonance spaces are emerging. These include interactions between humans and AI entities that go beyond simple command inputs and enable complex, affective exchange processes. In her book ‘Alone Together’, Turkle (2011) discusses the emotional bonds that humans can develop with robots and AI systems, which points to the emergence of artificial resonance spaces.
The development of these different forms of resonance spaces has far-reaching implications:
- Expanding the ability to act: Digital and hybrid resonance spaces can expand the ability of individuals to act by offering new opportunities for interaction and influence.
- Changing social dynamics: Resonance spaces, especially in their digital form, can change traditional social structures and power dynamics by enabling new forms of networking and collective action.
- Challenges to authenticity and intimacy: Artificial resonance spaces raise questions about the nature of authentic relationships and the possibility of genuine resonance with non-human entities.
- Ethical implications: The design and use of resonance spaces, especially in the context of AI, requires careful ethical reflection on issues of autonomy, privacy and human dignity.
Future research should focus on how different forms of resonance spaces influence our self-image, our social relationships and our relationship to the world as a whole. Particular attention should be paid to the interactions between digital, hybrid and artificial resonance spaces.
[Excerpt from chapter 5 of the manuscript]
The approaches to embodied and situated cognition in robotics considered so far make it clear how strongly perception, behaviour and environmental interaction are interwoven. Complex cognitive performances do not emerge in isolated systems, but only through close coupling with the real world.
This realisation already points to a central concept of this section: The idea that even our human consciousness, especially visual consciousness, is not a purely internal, separate process. Rather, it arises from the dynamic interaction between individuals, communities and their environment – and this should also give rise to collective visual consciousness.
[ … ]
So if our visual consciousness is actually shaped by our physical interaction with the environment, then the concept of the perceptual space falls short of capturing the dynamic processes of everyday life. So far, we have only established that the images of a perceptual space express an idea that does not change over a longer period of time and represents an orientation similar to a goal, a mission statement or an image. They also bear a certain resemblance to iconic representations, as described by Roland Barthes in his semiotic analysis. These are deeply rooted in cultural and social beliefs and often serve as symbols for ideals and values that appear stable and unchanging.
If we are touched by an idea anchored in this way, it can set us in motion. It can influence us to strive for this imagination – or to fight against it. If an imagination exerts such an attractive interaction on us, an affliction occurs. The term was developed by Hartmut Rosa as part of his resonance model of world relations. This model serves to describe emotional impulses or emotions that lead to a reaction and thus to a movement.
Literature:
De Souza e Silva, A. (2006). From cyber to hybrid: Mobile technologies as interfaces of hybrid spaces. Space and culture, 9(3), 261-278.
Papacharissi, Z. (2015). Affective publics: Sentiment, technology, and politics. Oxford University Press.
Rosa, H. (2016). Resonanz: Eine Soziologie der Weltbeziehung. Suhrkamp Verlag.
Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. Basic Books.