The concept of identity is a central concern in philosophy that has been debated for centuries. It refers to the way an individual perceives themselves and presents themselves to others.
Modern advancements have added new dimensions to this concept, such as digital mobility. Digital mobility refers to the ability to move seamlessly between multiple platforms, devices, and networks. This means individuals can create different identities across various social media sites and communication channels without having a consistent persona. In this article, we will explore how this affects philosophical concepts of self-coherence and continuity.
Self-coherence refers to the idea that an individual's thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors are connected and consistent. According to traditional philosophy, this requires consistency across time and situations.
Digital mobility challenges this notion because individuals can present different personas depending on the platform they are using.
Someone may be more extroverted on social media while being introverted in real life. This creates a gap between their public and private selves, leading to incoherence. Similarly, individuals may act differently online than they would in person, creating confusion about who they really are.
Continuity refers to the idea that an individual should maintain a stable sense of self throughout their life. Traditional philosophy suggests that this is essential for mental health and well-being.
Digital mobility makes it difficult to maintain continuity because people can change their identities at any moment. The ease with which one can create new profiles and identities allows individuals to reinvent themselves constantly. This leads to fragmentation and discontinuity, which may undermine self-perception and relationships with others.
Digital mobility has significantly impacted philosophical concepts of identity. It challenges traditional notions of self-coherence and continuity by allowing individuals to create multiple identities across platforms. While this can be liberating, it also raises questions about what it means to be human and how we define ourselves. The ability to navigate many identities can be empowering, but it also blurs the lines between public and private selves, making it harder to establish coherent and continuous identities. As technology continues to evolve, these issues will become increasingly relevant, forcing us to rethink our understanding of the self and its relationship to technology.
How does digital mobility — the ability to navigate many identities across platforms — reshape philosophical concepts of self-coherence and continuity?
According to the researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, digital mobility can have significant impact on how individuals perceive themselves as whole entities. The concept of "self" is often seen through the lens of coherence, meaning that it refers to an individual's sense of consistency and unity among their beliefs, values, behaviors, and experiences.