Philosopher Byung-Chul Han Diagnoses Digital Age as Era of Nonobjects and Infomania

Earlier this year, philosopher Byung-Chul Han released his book Undinge, which posits that the era of tangible objects has concluded, supplanted by a digital framework centered on information. He characterizes smartphones as 'infomats' that surveil their users, referring to them as devotional artifacts of the digital-information landscape. Han argues that digitalization strips reality of its material essence, creating 'infomaniacs' who value data over lived experiences. He contrasts today's neoliberal meritocracy with Foucault's disciplinary society, where self-exploitation is confused with true freedom. Rejecting nostalgia, Han sees objects as stabilizing 'resting places for life' and believes the pandemic hastened the decline of rituals. His current project, Vita contemplativa, serves as a counterpoint to Hannah Arendt's Vita activa.