I have generally referred to the three layers of modern self as 1; Self, 2; Digital Self and 3; Generic Self. The self is an aggregation of own habits, customs and material desires; Digital Self is information one voluntary discloses on the media about him/herself and Generic Self is what others' make of your Self is collected without your knowledge.
The above three layers do not make up holistic self; instead, it represents the material entity or body of holistic being. That is; body, mind and spirit. The self or body part of our person is now separated from the functions of the mind and spirit. It is a linear entity constructed upon the elements of the material; wishes and desire that secular society has nourished and strengthen to overcome our mind and spirit. Materialism therefore refers to the rule of the body over the mind and spirit.
The body or self is now extended to abstracts of digital information and information that others make of us without our knowledge. This cannot be a subconscious awareness because it is external.
In our brave new world of technology, a lot of information is collected by cell phones, computers, GPS, CCTV and other monitoring devices without your knowledge. Networks including Bank transactions, travel documents, interviews or communication where information is disclosed and recorded add to self-construction. Soon, information would be collected by domestic appliances including fridges, washing machines and if not already, TVs, radios and vehicles.
Soon, this information is directly shared from within ourselves when we are subjected to microchips in the body. It would become an instant form of Identification or ID.
Come to think of it, I have recently had eye test and wondered if images of my eye pattern is collected to make up my Generic Self and without my knowledge!
Further to self, the technological development of ID would have personal information not limited to Name, address, age and gender, but would also include health issues and criminal record all in the name of security. And With all that wiring and monitoring, there is nowhere to hide.
Identity (Id) refers to principle values, habits and desires underlying one's person; Identification (ID)refers to documents, chips or finger prints and eye patterns identifying oneself. This is freely exchanged over the phone and emails when dealing with business corporations and government agencies.
Thinning as it were in my theory is the corrosion of social and human values by material developments; the corrosion of the mind and spirit by the body. Remembering material not only refers to physical objects but also to dreams, wishes and desires. Values are pure principles and material desires that can practically produce objective outcomes. But in here, values are in the way of material development and are therefore discarded.
Some examples of the above are gender and family where children are pawns in the conditioning of parents, especially male parents. Religion which is strong on values is somewhat thrown out of education in favour of materialism. Some programmes available for public viewing censor no indecencies. And not surprising to learn that these kinds of programs are popular among viewers.
Notice particularly human interactions in this transition; as we descent the spiral of deterioration we lose values and morality. There is no more protection under social obligations or expectations of decency or integrity and dignity. And having no privacy or freedom, we become vulnerable subjects of business and authoritative imposition and abuse.
England has endured three terror attacks in the last couple of months and one can understand the need for surveillance to protect innocent lives.
At the same time, business corporations and governments have privy advantage of information to target us with. Basically, they make condition and influence choices for us in everything we do. Not only have we lost our privacy, but now freedom to choose as well.
Having endless supply of resources, big corporations influence individuals' choices and reward them by feeding their desires. It's not unusual to form popular opinions from consumers who have satisfied their desires.
All that rich information in the corporation's fingertip, folks with criminal records and illnesses are polarised into a non-travelling and unemployed sector of Poverty. It is where society continues to maintain the Underclass. Will mental illness and suicide continue to rise in our ever dehumanising world?
It's a farce to humanity when time and efforts have been exhausted in rehabilitation programs if all their hard work is not recognised under monitors of surveillance. That is why society has to have a re-process system for individuals to turn their lives around and back to the workforce again. It is better than culling but would also save money. Besides, there is always a never ending supply of defects and deviants under a cold heartless world.
There is a certain fear about the future of human development. Would our organic gene develop a metal strand from all those implanted therapy? Now, having a metal strand among all that wiring and monitoring, are we likely to pick up a virus or would our joins now subject to frequent maintenance or they will rust? Are we likely to call a robot 'bro' in the future?
The issues of privacy and freedom are fundamental to individuals and citizens alike. It is what makes us human. It is the reason why wars have been fought for the very existence that is now under threat in our modern technological world. Well with all that metal power, will robots take over the police force to keep us thinking humans in line?