Digital zombie

For malware-infected "zombie computers", see Zombie (computing).

A digital zombie, as defined by the University of Sydney, is a person so engaged with digital technology and/or social media they are unable to separate themselves from a persistent online presence.[1] Further, University of Sydney researcher Andrew Campbell also expressed concerns over whether or not the individual can truly live a full and healthy life while they are preoccupied with the digital world.[1] Other individuals have also begun referencing certain types of behaviour with being a digital zombie. Stefanie Valentic, managing editor of EHS Today, refers to it as people hunting digital creatures through their smartphones in public spaces, always fixed on their phones.[2] In looking at the origins of the word "Zonbi" from Haitian slave plantations, it's been noted that the term also implies a control of the physical body by technology.[3] The University of Warwick has used the term to argue that further research needs to be done with people who exist in digital form after death to help people grieve their loss.[4]

  1. ^ a b "From creatures of habit to digital zombies – are we all addicts now?". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Raterink, Cooper; Zawlacki, Jake. "Reanimating the Digital Zombie". stanfordrewired.com. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  4. ^ Bassett, Debra; Bassett, Debra J. (December 2015). "Who Wants to Live Forever? Living, Dying and Grieving in Our Digital Society" (PDF). Social Sciences. 4 (4): 1127–1139. doi:10.3390/socsci4041127.