Existence and communication in the digital age: New faces of identity and belonging

This thesis examines the individual's quest for identity, need for belonging, and existential experience in the digital age from a philosophical perspective. Today, individuals exist not only in the physical world but also through countless digital projections. Every click, share, and interaction becomes a rewritten fragment of the question "who am I" while digital platforms evolve beyond mere communication tools into existential spaces that transform the experience of selfhood. This transformation, shaped by the conditions of the digital age, limits the individual's experience of self-awareness on an ontological-existential level; the individual increasingly defines themselves through ontic representations within a conformist framework. In this context, the identity representations constructed by the digital age, which form the subject of this study, are brought into a philosophical discussion in light of the philosophical problems they entail, through Sartre's notion of the individual condemned to freedom and the quest for an authentic life, Heidegger's inquiry into the question of being within the framework of the concept of 'Dasein', and Baudrillard's theory of simulation. The study aims to evaluate the existential impacts of the digital age on the individual through a philosophical inquiry. The forms of self presented in digital environments often produce fragile identities that lack authenticity and are shaped by the expectations of others. The tension between digital identity and authentic existence makes it difficult for the individual to confront their true self, while online forms of belonging deepen personal alienation through temporary and superficial attachments. Therefore, digitalization is addressed not only as a technological transformation but also as an existential issue that fundamentally affects the individual's experience of identity and belonging.