I know that conspiracy theorists make meanings and create shared realities through interactions online. But wondering if there are other theories looking into?
Hey all,
I've just read Georg Simmel's 'The Metropolis and Mental Life'. I'm really interested in (a) the nervous system effects of the pace and fleeting "discontinuities" of urban living, (b) the impact of anonymous crowds or 'masses' on the individual and (c) the idea of spatial estrangement and how this relates to atomisation and/or "agoraphobia" (Vidler, 1991).
I'm hoping I can explore these ideas more fully, and perhaps build towards an essay on urban isolation in contemporary London.
Could anyone recommend papers in dialogue with, against, or related somehow to the above? I'm ideally looking for the essential "required reading" on this topic as opposed to more niche stuff - though hopefully I'll get to that eventually!
Thanks:)
For instance, in my neighborhood between the period of 2005-2015 it went from innumerable kids to zero kids.
This has to do with a turn inward, a culture of fear and safety, and alternative social events hosted in more controlled environments (churches, schools, etc.).
Also, what other phenomenons like this do you find fascinating?