Self in the digital age: from technology construction to humanistic construction

With the advent of the digital age, the virtual world has brought people an unprecedented shocking experience with its novelty, seductive and multifunctional characteristics, attracting people to invest, and even difficult to extricate themselves. It makes people not only feel the charm of online technology in a simple and fast way, but also realize the comprehensive penetration and change of people's production, life, and ideological concepts. In the interaction with the virtual world, people not only need to re -understand themselves, but also need to realize new self -construction. In the view of American scholar Mark Poster, today people do not build idealism in consciousness, but in the continuous development of social practice, the separation of physical and speech behavior or writing makes themselves self -containing themselves. New forms become possible. When you are in CyberSpace, people have to face such doubts when the virtual reality in the computer and the computer network): Can they continue to maintain their racial identity rooted in the region? Or, as Susan Stanford Friedman said, pay attention to the individual identity in different "internal/external or centers/edges. The difference in the space "in space, so that the understanding of self -identity is not placed in a static field, but a new identity of individual identity in the dynamic flow of network space like a new" geographical discovery ", re -re -re -identify, and re -re -re -re -changes. Understand the meaning and characteristics of identity. To answer such questions, first of all, we must figure out what happened to people entering the Saibo space. In the sense of this change, it has influenced and changed self, so that the reconstruction and confirmation of self is necessary and possibilities.

Technical construction: formation and identity establishment of digital subjects

In the process of human digital production, the differentiation and unity of the real world and the virtual world produced. In the real world, life entity or body is the subject. It rely on human life and acts on the external object world through human life activities, thereby establishing a person in the real world of the main and guest interaction. As a constructing world, the virtual world is the extension of the field of human activity and time and space that the virtual world is completed by modern network technology. Because the virtual world is a digital world, humans cannot enter it directly, but need to first form digitalization of digital body or body, that is, digital deficiency, to enter the virtual world to engage in various network behavior activities. Therefore, the main body in the virtual world is the digital virtual body of the data, not the life entity. It is the spokesperson of the life entity in the digital world. Regardless of acceptance or not, it refers to a certain individual existence, which is the identity symbol of the individual in the digital world. For individuals, if you want to enter the digital world, the first task is to construct digital subjects and complete identification. This is the premise and preparation of individual network activities.

The formation of digital virtual body has different ways. It can be an invisible image of an individual in order to obtain information and data acquisitions actively carried out by the platform to actively conduct the platform. But no matter what method adopts, it is inseparable from the collection and analysis of data, or the control of algorithm. In view of the distortion in the process of data collection or generation, people can neither dataize all external physical characteristics, nor can all inherent psychological characteristics (in fact unnecessary). At present, people talk about the main body of the digital body, not to realize the complete presentation of the self -made world, but just to realize the switch from the real world to the digital world. Digital distortion does not affect the formation of digital subjects. In a sense, digital subjects are only theoretical existence, not real existence. It is just a symbol of the meaning of coding and is not personal. Its meaning is only a logo, that is, the remote virtual of the real subject is present. With the help of digital subjects, the rules and order of the digital world can be established and maintained. Individuals cannot reject the platform's digital image relying on the technical advantages, and the platform's attention is only to accurately push the algorithm based on the algorithm. As for the individual, it is not important. The platform does not need to describe the individual image (but once it is needed, it can also describe it), it only cares about what you care about, what your hobbies are, and then continuously designate the information according to the algorithm. This kind of personality -based push meets the different needs of individuals to a certain extent. Different individuals receive different information every day, but at the same time, it also limits people’s information domains and information sources, causing the information area to be information area Trun and information barriers.

The establishment of the digital subject means the completion of the self -digital construction, forming a digital self, which is a technical construction for real self, not humanistic construction. It is not an internal sublimation of itself, but it is externally expanding. Rather than saying it is a new self, it is a network of self, the self -network identity and network role of yourself. Because of this, digital subjects are also called "pseudo -subjects" or "external subjects" by scholars. According to Friedman's view, the identity is constructed by referring to the differences between others and himself. But as far as the identity of the digital subject, it is constructed based on the different space fields, based on self -characteristics and the help of network technology. It is just functional, not physical existence. It provides a traceability foundation and possibility for network responsibilities and obligations, but it cannot bear any responsibility and obligations. In the process of digital self -formation, not only does the reality self not have any substantial changes, but on the contrary, it may also be in the process of digitalization. During its digitalization process, the real image of self -self is unable to achieve self -evidence due to data distortion. However, it is worth noting that in the virtual reality of the Yuan universe, people can play their role through virtual reality technology (VR), arbitrarily create their own virtual image, and social behavior with others. It will bring people into virtual time and space, so that people have a sense of immersion or realism. It may take virtuality as true, or to be true, causing people to be aware of the illusion and vagueness. Errors and tangles. The VR virtual sexual assault case in Japan not long ago is an example. Although it does not cause physical direct damage to the parties, it has caused psychological damage and needs to attract enough attention. The more realistic the virtual reality is, the easier it is to bring in the emotions of people. The more you need to treat the author in the way of "reality". Although the scenes set by people are virtual, the operator himself is real, and he needs to abide by a certain public order and good custom at any time. Ask his virtual image as your desire, and uses virtual as an excuse for himself, it exactly exposes the lack of self -recognition and moral weakening of the operator's own self -identification. Although we cannot hold virtual people's responsibilities, as one of the social behaviors of people, the operator must bear all the consequences and responsibilities generated by the network behavior.

In addition, there are people envisioning: With the development of digital technology, in the future, human beings will realize digital survival and even digitize eternal life. One day in the future, virtual reality may become a daily life of people's lives, allowing people to bring into the experience with falsehood. People will live in the intertwined time and space of virtual reality, so that daily life is richer and the world of life is wider. But even so, after all, it is not the real body of human beings, and it cannot replace the real life of the real person. In the final analysis, the production of digital subjects is not to create a new subject, but to facilitate the actual subject to enter a new perspective. Only when you return to the actual subject, the discussion of the digital subject has real significance and value.

Humanities Construction: New self -identity of reality subject

The digital subject as the digitalization of the real subject, which represents self -network identity. It is a meaningful number symbol of people caused by technical needs, and its formation is the prerequisite for people from offline to online. The digital subject is divided into the real subject, marking the existence of self in the digital world, but that's it. It is not the existence of the main body of reality, nor the parallel subject of the actual subject, but the data of the actual subject. It is neither thinking nor to act. Because of this, the digital subject does not internally confirms the existence of human beings, but only externalize the existence of the actual subject corresponding to it. This determines that the digital subject must have "return". It is neither a real responsible subject nor a real obligation subject. Its identity is only the symbol and identification of the actual subject. In this sense, the establishment of the identity of the digital main body is not justified as an independent subject of the digital world, but a confirmation of it as a real subject symbol logo. It can be seen that the virtuality of the digital subject determines that it cannot be the actual responsibility of individual network responsibilities and obligations. Only by returning to the real world of real world can we truly realize the responsibility and performance of network responsibility and obligations.

However, this does not mean that the return from digital subjects to reality subjects is simply put forward new construction requirements to reality subjects. With the emergence of the digital world, individuals are both the connection points of the real world and the digital world, but also their cross points; both in the interactive relationship between the real world, but also the reasonable adjustment and balance of the real world. The digital world not only brings a huge impact and change to the production and lifestyle of the real subject, but also the formation of the relationship between the network cultural relationship, it also breaks the connection and balance between the original person and the world More complicated and multi -dimensional. It brings not only the simple extension and expansion of human activity fields, but the structural changes and evolution of human social production and life. In this process, there have been contradictions such as expressing excess expression and lack of personality, convergence of circle consciousness, and individual cognitive tear, emotional venting and rational thinking. The actual subject needs to re -examine itself Sex, realize new self -identity. If the formation of digital subjects and their identity confirmation is the first construct of the self -constructing of the digital age, then the second construct of the real subject and re -recognition in the dual relationship of the real world is the second. The former belongs to technical construction, and the latter belongs to humanistic construction. The construction of the digital subject is not the responsibility and obligation of the actual entity, but to identify the real subject through the digital subject, so as to achieve the responsibility and obligations of the network behavior, which makes the latter more important than the former. The Internet era is an era of information explosion, and it is also an era of mixed fish and dragons. The past information of human beings is often based on knowledge creation. However, today we face a large number of unpaid and confirmed mass fragmented and non -complete information. If it is not discerned, it may be reduced to many garbage The receiver of the information, eliminating time in the shallow reading, not only cannot achieve the growth of knowledge, but also confuses the audiovisual, leading to confusion and solidification of thinking, so that the columnist of the New York Times David Brooks Times are called "new ignorance era". The Internet world that does not reflect on it, while bringing people on the surface, it has actually caused a spiritual "infant" era that is more sensual than rational, more fun, and laziness than diligence. The main body of reality can optimize the internal structure of the self, balanced and real relationships, and gradually get rid of the passive and passive acceptance status in the game with the platform of the platform. Power, win more initiative.

Although the emergence of digital technology has brought us many new problems and new situations, it undoubtedly enriched our lives, opened up our horizons, and brought a lot of convenience to our lives. We can neither prevent the progress and development of science and technology, and we should not reject its existence, but we need to effectively open the digital world in a more reasonable and fair way. Based on this, for the main body of reality, self -organizational construction capabilities should be strengthened, and new self -transcendences should be achieved through the self -deconstruction and construction function inside the body. Specifically, it is necessary to strengthen the ability of independent learning and critical reflection, enhance your subject consciousness, critical reflection consciousness, and network behavior responsibility, complete your new subject construction and identity, consciously undertake network behavior responsibilities and obligations, achieve numbers to achieve numbers New inner self -identity in the technical context. In addition, we must consider the positive and negative effects brought by digital technology and the recent and long -term impacts, and reasonably establish the value orientation and value interval of digital technology development; fully estimate the impact and impact of network group consciousness and network ideology on society. Induced, through the rigid restrictions of law and the flexible regulation of the network behavior of individuals and platforms, etc., and clarify network responsibilities and obligations; through normal and comprehensive supervision, weaken the technical hegemony of platform capital, and ensure the platform on the basis of standardization. Realize healthy development. The islands should not be formed between individuals, technology and society, but they need to cooperate and support each other to form a binding effect and exert a greater combination, so as to actively promote the development of modern social civilization.

In summary, the emergence of the digital world objectively proposes the requirements of the main body construction. It is completed by the formation and identity confirmation of the digital subject, so as to determine its symbolic signs of the real subject. On this basis, it also needs to return to the actual subject to achieve the reshaping of the actual subject to adapt to the new requirements of the self. As a result, the self -construction of the digital age should include two aspects: on the one hand, the construction of the technical construction, it is the construction of the outside body, the technical needs of human beings entering the digital world, the logo is the formation and identity of the digital subject; on the other hand Humanities construction, it is the construction of the internal subject, the humanistic needs of human beings in the face of the real world, and the sign is that the real subject completes the identity and realizes new self -identification. Only by completing the dual construction of themselves can individuals truly enter the digital era, consciously realize the organic connection of the real world, and become the real owner of the real world.

(Author unit: Department of Philosophy of Nanjing Normal University)

Source: China Social Science Network-Journal of Social Sciences of China

Author: Xu Qiang

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