DIGITALISATION AND THEATRE: FROM PHYSICAL DEATH TO DIGITAL PRESENCE- USER NOT FOUND
DIGITALISATION AND THEATRE: FROM PHYSICAL DEATH TO DIGITAL PRESENCE- USER NOT FOUND

Summary/Abstract: In contemporary society, individuals establish virtual identities alongside their physical identities through social media and digital platforms. However, the fact that these virtual identities persist after death introduces a new dimension to the processes of death, mourning and remembrance. In this context, thanatology, as an interdisciplinary field concerned with death and mourning, has been reshaped by the influence of posthumanist thought and digital technologies, opening up new avenues of scholarly inquiry. As a result, concepts such as ‘digital immortality,’ ‘posthumous digital existence,’ ‘digital afterlife’ and ‘embodied virtuality’ have become increasingly prominent within contemporary studies of death, grief, and remembrance. The play User Not Found (2018, 2020), written by Chris Goode and staged by Dante or Die Theatre, which is the focus of this study, centres on Terry, who is suddenly confronted with the news of his partner’s demise and delves into his internal battle with both the grieving process and the management of the deceased’s digital accounts. The persistence of this ‘ghost identity’ in the digital realm intensifies the character’s experience of grief. The play draws the audience into the digital world through its themes and performance techniques, particularly with the effective use of mobile phones and headphones. The play, which integrates theatre with digital technologies, also draws attention for offering audiences both a physical and a virtual experience. Thus, by means of theatrical representation, the play proffers an artistic depiction of life in the digital age, furnishing an impactful representation of the transformations experienced in this era.

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