Omnipresence / Telepresence

Abstract

The omnipresence of God was formulated as one of His defining characteristics by scholastics in the Middle Ages based on several references in the Bible. The symbol of the “Eye of God” illustratively encapsulates this attribute. The telepresence afforded by digital communication technologies appears unrelated, from an informatics point of view. Yet, association between the two concepts and spheres did inevitably emerge. Overlapping analogies of divine and cybernetic ubiquity seem inescapable. Online surveillance in the era of information society lends itself to comparison with the all-seeing eye of God looking down on humanity. In order to investigate this mysterious coincidence, both  concepts will be traced back to their origin and analysed in relation to each another. The similarities may offer a source of creative inspiration but ultimately do not withstand thorough examination.