15/04/2026
The Screen as a Labyrinth: The Displacement of the Self in the Algorithmic Era
By Rodrigo Fuenzalida Morales
Social Scientist, Cultural Observer, and Author of "Mythos del Mito"
When observing the intersection between technology and youth, I perceive a phenomenon of symbolic displacement. It is not that the archetypal impulse has disappeared, but rather that the medium upon which it is projected has radically changed, moving from the organic and the ritual to the algorithmic and the digital. This transformation can be broken down into the following fundamental axes of my analysis:
1. The "Screen" as the New Mirror of the Self
For young people, technology is not an external tool, but an extension of their identity. The process of individuation, which previously occurred through interaction with the physical world and the community, now takes place in the digital space. The risk is that the "Persona" (the social mask) becomes so hypertrophied on social media that it ends up suffocating the real "Self." The youth no longer seeks to be, but rather "to be seen" under the parameters of a pre-configured digital aesthetic.
2. The Myth of the Algorithm
Technical rationalism has created a new form of deity: the algorithm. Within youth societies, there is an almost mystical surrender to its recommendations. The algorithm acts as an oracle that decides what music to listen to, what ideas to consume, and with whom to interact. This generates a loss of heroic will; the youth no longer enters the "forest" to face their own shadow, but instead navigates an ecosystem designed to avoid any discomfort or deep conflict.
3. The Tension: Action-Image vs. Fiction-Image
Today we see a constant struggle in how reality is constructed. On one hand, Digital Fiction creates narratives and aesthetics (filters, avatars) that replace raw experience. On the other, technology facilitates an immediate Action-Image (likes, digital activism) that often lacks a profound attitudinal base. There is a risk that social commitment becomes just another discursive fiction, where the representation of the act is more important than the act itself.
4. Everyday Transhumanism
Beyond physical implants, youth are already experiencing a psychological transhumanism. Memory, sense of direction, and the capacity for introspection are being delegated to devices. If the archetype feeds on basic human experience—silence, boredom, waiting, pain—current technology acts as an anesthetic that flattens these experiences, making it difficult for the personal myth to emerge with force.
5. The Resistance of the Human
Despite this scenario, the archetypal tends to rebel. This is observed in the resurgence of interest in the esoteric, mental health, or the search for "authenticity." It is a sign that the psyche continues to seek channels for expression, attempting to find a balance between technical efficiency and the depth of the human spirit.
In short, technology in youth is redesigning the map of the mind, but the territory—the unconscious—remains the same, even if it is now more fragmented and mediated by the light of screens. My work seeks to denounce how materialistic rationalism attempts to destroy the human psyche, leaving only a discursive construction, forgetting action, and taking refuge in fictional images.
Rodrigo Fuenzalida Morales (2007 - 2026)
Social scientist dedicated to scrutinizing the fabric of the community and the Self.
Purchase my book "Mythos del Mito" to delve deeper into this dynamic regarding discursive construction and the current psyche.
Available on: Amazon and Kindle.
Print edition price: USD $16.00.