Should Death Do Us Part? Audience Perceptions of Digital Immortality in Artificial Immortality (2021)

Abstract

[From introduction] The meaning and pursuit of immortality has long occupied a central place in philosophical, religious, and cultural discourse (Buben; Kar; Rosenthal; Nairn). At its core, immortality refers to the continuation of existence beyond the limits of material death, often understood as the endurance of an intangible identity such as the soul, consciousness, or personal essence (Andrade). In contemporary digital culture, this enduring pursuit has taken on new significance through digital immortality, where technologies such as artificial intelligence, data preservation, and interactive avatars promise new ways of sustaining identity, presence, and memory beyond biological death. Accordingly, this article examines how audiences engage with digital immortality through responses to the documentary Artificial Immortality (2021), focussing on how viewers negotiate the concept through scepticism, spirituality, and lived experiences of grief and loss. In doing so, it situates digital immortality within longer histories of human attempts to transcend mortality while also considering how emerging technologies reconfigure the meanings of life, death, and continued existence.