ABSTRACT

Focusing on the anthropological consequences of the disappearing of materiality and sensory embodiment, On Insignificance highlights some of the most perturbing patterns of insignificance that have seeped into our everyday lives. Seeking to explain the semiotic causes of feelings of meaninglessness, Leone posits that caring for the singularities of the world is the most viable way to resist the alienating effects of the digital bureaucratization of meaning. The book will be of interest to scholars of anthropology, cultural studies, semiotics, aesthetics, communication studies, and social theory.

chapter |5 pages

Introduction

The significance of insignificance

chapter 1|16 pages

Framing insignificance

A semiotic typology of meaninglessness

chapter 2|11 pages

Trolling insignificance

Disrupting the digital public discourse

chapter 3|23 pages

Contrarian insignificance

Wars of position in the digital arena

chapter 4|27 pages

Picturing insignificance

The utopia of digital perfection

chapter 5|12 pages

Shopping insignificance

Post-material temples

chapter 6|21 pages

Assembling insignificance

Post-material crowds

chapter 7|17 pages

Eating insignificance

Post-material meals

chapter 8|11 pages

Recovering significance

The value of singularity

chapter 9|15 pages

Negotiating significance

The value of compromise

chapter 10|13 pages

Sharing significance

The value of common sense

chapter 11|16 pages

Courting significance

The value of interpretation

chapter |15 pages

Conclusions

The clash of semiotic civilizations