"If we want to understand what kind of society we live in, we have to comprehend
what information is. Information has very little currency. It lacks temporal
stability, since it lives off the excitement of surprise. Due to its temporal
instability, it fragments perception. It throws us into a continuous frenzy of
topicality. Hence its impossible to linger on information. That's how it differs
from objects. Information puts the cognitive system itself into a state of
anxiety. We encounter information with the suspicion that it could just as
easily be something else. It is accompanied by basic distrust. It strengthens
the contingency experience."
Philosopher Byung-Chul Han is known for his writing on the perennial ills of
our time; alienation, loneliness, fragmentation and more. In this interview he
reflects on how we might respond to a world of digital alienation.
