Human Digital Twins and the Reconfiguration of Social Interaction

Abstract

Human Digital Twins (HDTs) are a new concept that has become part of the wider picture of Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0, and aim to simulate a representation of a human being that is dynamic and encompasses not only physiological aspects but also cognitive, emotional, and social characteristics. Although much work has been done on technical architectures and biomedical applications, social aspects of HDTs have received relatively little attention. This paper fills this void by systematically reviewing literature from information systems, sociology, ethics and human-computer interaction to analyze the social dimensions of HDTs. It claims that the HDTs are not just technical products, but are social actors that could interact with and change the main dimensions of human relationship: identity, presence, trust, intimacy, and authority. The paper examines application areas in education, healthcare, employment, interpersonal relations, social pairing and the new industry of the digital-afterlife, to pinpoint opportunities for strengthening social connectiveness and threats of social displacement, identity fragmentation and ethical erosion. It suggests a conceptual approach to the understanding of HDTs as socially grounded, structural-functionalist, post humanist and post phenomenological forms and provides recommendations for human-centred development that maintains a sociality of human beings rather than its loss.