Proximity to connectivity: shifting theories of collective memory in the digital age

Abstract

Social media has radicalized users’ engagement with time, community, and memory. Currently, social platforms allow users to curate online identities that exceed and transform traditional boundaries of space and time. Such a transformation problematizes conventional theories of memory, such as Halbwachs’ concept of collective memory which emphasizes the importance of physical proximity and social groups in shaping individual recollections. Social media’s pervasive reach encourages individuation, since users prioritize online personas over authentic engagement with the present moment. This paper explores how social media challenges and reshapes traditional memory models, emphasizing the shift from localized, episodic memory to a more global, participatory, and fragmented form of collective memory. Drawing on Hoskins, this paper highlights the implications of digital connectivity for memory studies: the rise of semantic memory in the digital age reflects the growing influence of global digital ecologies over traditional social milieus. Thus, collective memory theory must be revised to account for complexities of the digital era and global connectivity enabled by social media.