Dwelling in the COVID-19 pandemic: the shift into virtual places

Abstract

Ever since the Internet became ubiquitous and accessible through technology that performs like extensions of human bodies, the space humans live in became hybrid. The pandemic-necessitated quarantine has imposed a drastic shift from in-person human activities to the virtual environment, making us more digital than ever. This shift informs our understanding of how the Internet creates alternative environments for dwelling, and how physical spaces are meaningful in the context of ubiquitous Internet (UI) by providing environments for embodied experiences. Looking into the concept of dwelling through Christian Norberg-Schulz’s perspective, this paper discusses how orientation (one’s ability to wander), identification with places (one’s development of belonging), and meaning (the gathering and concretization of the meaning of existence) have unfolded in a context of UI and during the quarantine. Society is still adapting to the changes in human dwelling brought about by UI, and though the Internet has sometimes been cited as the cause of alienation, we argue that dwelling and alienation are instead a result of one’s attitude towards places and life.