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Becoming oneself online: narrative self-constitution and the internet
Philosophical Studies, Volume: 181, Pages: 2405 - 2427
Swansea University Author:
Anna Bortolan
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© The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1007/s11098-024-02169-9
Abstract
This paper explores how self-identity can be impacted upon by the use of digital and social media. In particular, drawing on a narrative account of selfhood, it argues that some forms of activity and interaction on the internet can support the capacity to be oneself, and foster transformative proces...
| Published in: | Philosophical Studies |
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| ISSN: | 0031-8116 1573-0883 |
| Published: |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
2024
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66315 |
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| Abstract: |
This paper explores how self-identity can be impacted upon by the use of digital and social media. In particular, drawing on a narrative account of selfhood, it argues that some forms of activity and interaction on the internet can support the capacity to be oneself, and foster transformative processes that are self-enhancing.I start by introducing different positions in the philosophical exploration of identity online, critically outlining the arguments of those who hold a “pessimistic” and an “optimistic” stance respectively. I then expand on the narrative identity framework that has been used to support the optimists’ view, arguing that digital and social media use can foster forms of self-understanding that enable us to preserve or develop our identity. More precisely, exploring these dynamics also in relation to the lived experience of mental ill-health, I maintain that internet-enabled technology can support narrative self-constitution in three main ways: (1) by facilitating the processes through which we remember self-defining life-stories; (2) by enabling us to give salience to the stories that we decide should matter the most; and (3) by providing us with opportunities to obtain social uptake for our narratives. I then conclude by dispelling some possible objections to the use of a narrative approach to account for selfhood online. |
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| Keywords: |
Narrative self; Self-identity; Embodiment; Internet technology; Mental health |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Funders: |
Swansea University |
| Start Page: |
2405 |
| End Page: |
2427 |