Digital Humans: Thriving in an Online World

5Theatres of Work

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts.

William Shakespeare (1963/1993), As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII

This chapter is about how digital has radically impacted our working, living, and social environments. In particular, we focus on what this means for our physical environments when we come together and what the implications are for the hybrid and digital environments we construct around us.

The Digital Agora

In ancient Greece, the agora was a public ‘gathering place’ and the focal point of everyday life in the city. Citizens would walk to the agora to talk together, share ideas, and solve problems, often practicing in the gymnasium as well. The agora was an important part of life in ancient Greece and the primary forum for promoting debate and discourse. It is at the root of the democratic tradition with which we are familiar today.

Throughout history, humans have designed meeting places to come together for work, learning, and play and these spaces provide a focal point for every kind of conversation. Our greatest arenas still house the biggest sporting events and most important conferences, often broadcast to millions of people across the world.

Although we still meet and connect with each other to work and live, the way we do so has changed dramatically in the past decade and particularly through the recent pandemic. Work, as we have discussed, ...