Identity Urgency—Part 2

There's yet a very different kind of identity crisis going on today, in which the providers and exploiters of social media—Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc.—scoop up every tidbit that we send out on the internet, recording every click that we make. They then process that information with various algorithms, and create yet another identity for us; call it sort of an online identity. What's amazing is that those algorithms can accurately create an identity by which they then sell us things and even subtly manipulate us. After an astonishingly few keystrokes or “likes” the algorithms of these giant tech organizations know intimate things about us.

In fact, some algorithms have been shown to capture your personality more accurately than a close family member, after you've clicked on only a dozen or so “likes.” They then send you tailored ads and other tidbits—all designed to capture and hold your attention. They know what groups form your social network and they pass information to you that confirms your confidence that your groups are good and righteous. Thus you need not pay any attention to opposing groups. This is how bubbles and silos are formed. This is how social divisions and schisms grow and harden.

But Facebook, Amazon, and Google don't intend to cause strife. They're just trying to sell you stuff and thus amass the fortunes that they have. They've created the game and they've really benefited from it. Many people in fact appreciate the services these purveyors provide: the connections to gobs of “friends,” the delivery of just what you want to see on the screen in front of you, the ability to navigate through unfamiliar territory, the tailored news (or should I say “targeted” news?) that you're interested in, etc. It's all very easy and convenient.

But there's yet a darker side to these social media platforms. Those identities formed by the algorithms can be used to manipulate us in insidious ways. By showing us only what we are comfortable with, they literally capture us in a bubble. They sway our preferences—which is not necessarily devious when it involves purchasing new shoes, but can be devious when it influences how we vote. There are an increasing number of nefarious individuals and organizations whose online activities are intended to create havoc or steer public events in an unhealthy direction. Trolls roam the internet, attacking people. The Russians have become very proficient at hacking into private emails and websites, effectively damaging democratic processes.

And, finally, identities are sometimes stolen. These kinds of identities are not quite the entities I've defined at the beginning of this post; they are not social identities. They are more the official evidence we have to show authorities who we are, or to access our financial accounts. Once that type of identity is stolen, we have an extremely hard time taking back control of who we are.

So we are indeed experiencing an identity crisis today... on may fronts and in ways that couldn't have happened, even a few years ago. Who's in control? In the past, I could manage my identity pretty well, by deciding which groups I wished to belong to, and which norms and values of the group to internalize. Today the formation of our identity is more and more in the hands of powerful factions and their algorithms. Should we worry about this loss of control?