Simmelian Analysis of constructing interactive art in virtual space

Since new media, such as the Internet, enable interaction, participation, and simultaneous presence in multiple locations, the New Art can be studied sociologically as small samples of society. This article discusses two examples of interactive art: "emotional traffic" and "01," in which the internet plays an important role. Simmel's formal sociological theory is applied to qualitative content analysis. This study examines how virtual spaces created through technology correspond to social ideas in real life. To test this hypothesis, the qualitative content analysis findings will be compared with Simmel's theories. A virtual space is assessed through the concepts of distance, stranger, wanderer, self-expression, and maintaining one's self. Virtual spaces have different characteristics from traditional societies as well as a connection to the real world. Through analyzing the artworks' process, it was possible to extract the commonalities and differences between the two spaces. Using the Internet as a medium helps the concept of "distance" and incompatibility with proximity and presence. Even though these interactions do not align with Simmel's concepts, it might be possible to reach the opposite of his interpretations while maintaining the interaction. By using technology, Simmel's concept of "stranger" approaches the concept of "wanderer" with fewer degrees of strangeness. Due to the control of the artist, presence in virtual space resembles "stranger", but due to freedom of movement, physical presence resembles "wanderer". It is also seen according to Simmel's theory, that the complexity and quality of interactions are changed by increasing the number of participants.