Technosocial reality through the lens of Simondon's theory: individuation, collectivity, technologies, and networks

In this article, using the key concepts (individuation, technicality, and transindividual being) of the French philosopher Gilbert Simondon, an analysis of contemporary technosocial reality is proposed, which has its roots in the discussions that began in the mid-20th century about the theory of technicality as a way of human existence alongside religion, science, and art. It follows that the new theory of "technosocial reality" arose not only at the intersection of several disciplines (philosophy of technology, sociology, and cybernetics) but also due to the evolution of technicality, which reached its culmination in network structures, turning the entire world into a technosocial construct. This is why for Simondon, networks are not just tools, but a fundamental change in worldview: the boundary between "nature" and "culture" is blurred, giving way to a unified hybrid space where people, algorithms, and infrastructure co-create reality. An interdisciplinary analysis of contemporary technosocial reality through the lens of Simondon's philosophy requires a rejection of reductionism, consideration of multiple levels, and emphasis on processuality, as well as a combination of techno-historical, systemic, and network approaches. The key tasks are: first, to see technology as co-authors of sociality; second, to reveal how the "individual" and "collective" interpenetrate in digital environments. In his works, Simondon not only rehabilitates technology but shows that technicality is a fundamental layer of culture, without which neither individuation nor collective being is possible. Unlike pessimistic views (for example, Heidegger, who saw technology as "standing reserve" – a soulless disclosure of the world), Simondon offers a positive ontology of technology, where technicality is not a threat but an equal means comparable to religion, science, and art. In this context, Simondon not only anticipates the idea of "technosociality" but also shows how technology permeates all levels of existence: 1) in the process of concretization, technology participates in the formation of the individual (for example, digital identities); 2) within collectivity, technical networks (the Internet, transportation systems) form transindividual connections, similar to religious communities or scientific societies; 3) in culture, artificial intelligence and robotics become new "authors" and redefine the boundaries of creativity, as avant-garde artists did in the 20th century.

technosocial, pre-individual, metastability, being, individual, individuation, concretization, trans-individual relations, transduction, networks