Progressive rediscovery of the collective imaginary: an epistemological synthesis in the context of digital culture

In the present article we explore the conceptualizations of the notion ‘Imaginary’ and its manifestations, involving a progressive rediscovery of both collective and individual imaginaries towards and within the context of digital culture(s). The key terms outlining the analysis include imagination, the imaginary, collective imaginary, social imaginary, identity, culture, and society. These conceptual frameworks shape the investigation across three primary directions: (1) imagination versus imaginary, collective and individual imaginary, (2) the social imaginary, encompassing conceptions, visions, and interdisciplinary explorations, and (3) its modern and contemporary manifestations within digital culture, with specific examples and references to social, political, and media imaginaries. Our analysis adopts an epistemic approach grounded in a historical-literary perspective, drawing on the sociocultural dimensions of the theoretical framework within which the imaginary was initially conceptualized as an independent field of study (Gaston Bachelard, Gilbert Durand). It is defined at the intersection of disciplines – psychology, philosophy, literature, sociology, anthropology, social psychology, cultural anthropology, sociopolitics, and cultural studies – and has been progressively redefined at the crossroads of imagination and technology.