After our talk a couple weeks ago, I had Heidegger on my mind. All of our talk about modern technology and its affect on our identities (both purposefully and in ways we wish wouldn't happen) got me thinking about other, more low-tech communities. Would it make sense to say that communities with little or no access to modern technology have a more authentic sense of self than we do?
Are their relationships more sincere?
Do they really have more control over their identities/the self they present to the world?
I think in those settings people are defined more by actions and the people they surround themselves with (like the internet but in real life!). I've never lived in a place totally devoid of technology so I couldn't say for sure, but I have lived in a little town (less than 900 people) with limited access to technology before.
Thinking back, it just seems like people are the same in different ways. There isn't a Facebook selfie to ruin your prospective job opportunities, but there is a grapevine ready to spread gossip. It's hard for me to say which is worse: having an awkward picture forever associated with me on google images no matter where I run, or to have my reputation ruined with everyone in small place I'll never leave.
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ReplyDeleteThis post reminds me of an ACT essay question about the quality of our interactions (eww, standardized testing). While our modes of communication and social engagement are different than they were prior to the digital age, I personally feel relationships are now faster to form, but because of our ability to form relationships and many of them at once, there is an intimacy that is lost.-Tolby
ReplyDeleteI think comparing the post-internet condition with living in a small town is an interesting way to think about it. It seems like in a lot of ways the internet has made the world a lot smaller. Now we can gossip about people we haven't physically seen in years. We all now live in the small place we can never leave (unless we permanently log off).
ReplyDeleteAs for who has more control over their identities, I'd say it's us. We can create new identities simply by creating and deleting profiles. We can choose which images to upload and, if we put in enough work, we can generally remove the images we regret posting. I think control is the name of the game, even if sometimes the control is illusory.
–Stephen
This reminds me about an article I read about how no one in our generation in the United States can escape being filmed/recorded at some time or another. Our images are permanently in 'the system'. Its mind blowing to think about how many times we are filmed just walking down the street. Each business has cameras that record you when you walk by or in. Even Trinity has cameras on each floor. So honestly it doesn't matter how hard we try to remove the images we regret posting because honestly, we can never log off. - Mallayana
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