As many important decisions, whether political (e.g. elections), personal (e.g. forming relationships) or professional (e.g. choosing a career), are increasingly being made in digital contexts, the influence of these contexts (compared to analogue contexts) needs to be examined. The extent of digital spaces that have emerged in recent decades now allows people to make political decisions (cf. elections in Estonia), start, live and end relationships (cf. “cam culture”) and work (cf. “remote work” models) without ever leaving their homes or physically seeing or interacting with anyone. Decisions made in digital spaces differ from analogue decisions e.g. in terms of physical proximity, psychological distance, degree of interaction (and associated affective reactions), communication restrictions (e.g. texting), synchronicity, anonymity and other factors. The aim of this project is to investigate the impact of these differences on the emotions and outcomes of actual, life-critical decisions. The role of empathy in such decisions is of particular interest, as many (if not all) such decisions also have an impact on other people. Over the next three years, this project may include experimental studies in digital and non-digital environments, action research in the field, and survey data collection.
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