Techno-determinism, parasocial relationships, and digital sociology
Today, digital technologies have become an integral part of nearly every aspect of human life. People now communicate, express identity, build relationships, and even seek emotional comfort through digital platforms. These changes, however, are not accidental; they reflect deeper theories about how technology influences society and how humans construct meaning in digital spaces. Concepts such as techno-determinism, parasocial relationships, and digital sociology help us understand these transformations more critically. While these ideas were developed in Western intellectual contexts, their significance and relevance have grown dramatically in countries like Nepal, where technological adoption has accelerated faster than the development of digital literacy and critical awareness. Examining these concepts together allows Nepali readers to recognize how technology subtly shapes everyday life and social norms, including social behavior, identity, and public culture.
Techno-determinism: Technology as the driver of social change
The roots of technological determinism, commonly known as techno-determinism, lie in the works of American economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Veblen argued that machines and technological tools evolve according to their own internal logic and that society is compelled to reorganize itself to accommodate these technological developments. In his early works, such as The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899) and The Instinct of Workmanship (1914), he suggested that technology holds such transformative power that social institutions, including the economy, culture, labor, and even human relationships, must adapt to it.
Later, Marshall McLuhan, a prominent communication and media scholar, reinforced this idea by famously asserting that “the medium is the message,” implying that the structure of technology itself, not merely its content, forms human thought and social behavior. The popularity of the term “technological determinism” rose significantly during the mid-twentieth century as societies confronted the accelerating force of industrialization and media innovation.
In the Nepali context, techno-determinism becomes evident in the rapid transformation of social life through smartphones and social media. Within just a decade or so, digital platforms have redefined political activism, romantic relationships, daily communication, and youth identity. Even in rural Nepal, the intervention of smartphones has changed agricultural practices, migration decisions, and educational aspirations. Simply put, technological change has pushed social change faster than Nepali institutions can keep up with—exactly what Veblen predicted more than a century ago. The widespread belief that “technology will modernize Nepal” also reflects a deterministic mindset where society is seen as following the path set by digital innovation.
Parasocial relationships: Intimacy at a distance
While techno-determinism focuses on how technology shapes society at a structural level, parasocial relationships explain how media shapes emotions and personal connections. The concept was introduced in 1956 by Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl in their seminal article “Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction: Observations on Intimacy at a Distance.” They observed that television hosts, radio presenters, and entertainers often addressed viewers directly, creating an illusion of personal friendship. Nonetheless, the viewer felt emotionally close; the relationship was fundamentally one-sided; the media figures did not know them.
This concept has grown theatrically with the rise of social media platforms. Unlike television personalities of the 1950s, today’s influencers share their daily routines, insecurities, celebrations, and personal struggles. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram create deliberate intimacy via close-up camera angles, direct eye contact, and daily life vlogs. As a result, viewers often feel bonded to people they have never met.
Nepal has recently seen an explosion of parasocial relationships. TikTok celebrities, vloggers, and social media influencers enjoy loyal follower bases who track their emotional ups and downs as if they were relatives or close friends. Many young Nepalis express attachment to influencers’ marriages, breakups, and grudges, reinforcing Horton and Wohl’s idea of “intimacy at a distance.” Furthermore, the digital migration trend, where family members live abroad, relies on the appeal of such relationships. For many left behind at home, online personalities offer a surrogate form of emotional companionship. This demonstrates how emotional life in Nepal is being reshaped by digital media in ways that earlier generations never anticipated.
Digital sociology: A new Lens for understanding digital society
As digital technology has increasingly structured everyday life, scholars have begun developing new approaches to study these transformations. The field of digital sociology emerged in the early twenty-first century and is widely associated with Professor Deborah Lupton, whose book Digital Sociology (2014) provided one of the first comprehensive frameworks in this discipline. Digital sociology examines how digital technologies shape human interaction, identity formation, power relations, cultural practices, and social institutions. Likewise, digital sociology recognizes that online and offline lives are inseparable; digital spaces have now become genuine social arenas where power, identity, and inequality are negotiated.
In Nepal, digital sociology helps explain phenomena such as the rise of influencer culture, political mobilization through social media, the digital divide between urban and rural populations, and the growing impact of algorithmic platforms on public opinion. For instance, political debates and movements in Nepal increasingly unfold through Twitter and TikTok, creating new forms of public discourse while amplifying misinformation and polarization. Similarly, Facebook’s dominance in Nepali digital life has created a reliance on a single platform for news, communication, and even business, shaping how people access information and construct truth.
Organized evolution: How the three concepts reinforce each other
When examined together, techno-determinism, parasocial relationships, and digital sociology form a coherent framework for understanding contemporary society. Techno-determinism explains the structural forces: how technology drives social and institutional transformation. Parasocial relationships explain the emotional and psychological dimension: how digital platforms shape personal bonds and intimacy. Digital sociology, meanwhile, provides analytical tools for studying how these processes interact within broader systems of power and culture.
In Nepal, these three forces intersect vividly. Technological platforms introduce new forms of communication; these platforms then foster parasocial relationships between influencers and audiences, and digital sociology helps us understand how these relationships influence identity, politics, consumer culture, and mental health. In this way, the three concepts evolve together, forming a layered explanation of how technology reorganizes society.
Stepping ahead toward digital future
Techno-determinism, parasocial relationships, and digital sociology, though debatable topics, offer valuable frameworks for interpreting the rapid social changes driven by digital technology. For Nepal, a country still developing its digital literacy, infrastructure, and regulatory systems, these concepts provide critical insights. They remind us that technology is not neutral: it shapes emotions, restructures institutions, and reorganizes power. As Nepal continues its digital transformation, it must develop stronger critical awareness, ethical guidelines, and educational systems that equip people to navigate the complexities of digital life.
Therefore, Nepal stands at a critical juncture where digital awareness must grow alongside digital access. Nepali society needs to recognize that technology can not only empower but also manipulate; it can connect but also isolate. Understanding these concepts lets us become more conscious digital citizens who use technology without being controlled by it. Only through such awareness can Nepal build a digital future that is both socially responsible and emotionally healthy.
