EGENIS seminar series: "Emotions online: What are they, and what can they do for us?" Dr Anna Bortolan (Swansea University)

The seminar explores from a philosophical perspective the nature and role of emotions experienced in the context of social media use. First, I will argue that a narrative theory of emotion is better positioned than competing approaches to account for the key features of affective experiences on the internet. I will claim that these experiences are best understood as socially shaped processes, suggesting that such an account enables us to make sense of some of the characteristics of emotions undergone on social media (e.g. their intensity and contagiousness). I will then move to outline how such an account can shed light on the way in which online interactions may have transformative effects on one’s self-experience and self-understanding.