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?
