By Dean Edward A. Mejos, College of Arts and Sciences
This article was published in the March 2014 issue of Universitas.
INTRODUCTION
Since its early stages, the presence and influence of the Internet on the lives of people has been rapidly increasing. As a tool, the Internet has made communication much faster and more convenient for both personal and professional uses. Also known as the information superhighway, it has also become a means to have quick and immediate access to a vast amount of information that can be found easily with the help of search engines and other applications. Aside from these, the Internet has been used to push and promote one’s business with its ability to host information on products, companies, and profiles. It has likewise become a means by which people are able to share various digital files with other users through various file-sharing programs and applications. The World Wide Web has also evolved from being a means of communication to a “virtual world” along with the creation of social networks. Nowadays, the line that separates the real world from the virtual world has become increasingly blurry due to the rapid changes that the Internet is bringing to the lives of its users.
Communication is a natural activity for man, and the Internet has given rise to new forms and means of communication. The right to free speech and expression has now found a new home in the Internet especially with the advent of various social networking sites. While the users were primarily “consumers” of information, now they can participate in the dialogue by also being “producers” of information, which is shared with other Internet users.
Man’s freedom has expanded rapidly because of the possibilities brought on by the Internet. Now, users have a voice which could be heard by an audience whose number was quite unimaginable around a decade ago. Ordinary users can now communicate directly with representatives of big corporations, celebrities, and other public figures, thanks to the social media platform.
In a sense, the Internet has leveled the playing field and has somewhat made each individual equal with another. With each user’s freedom in using the Internet, however, a risk arises alongside it. This paper wishes to reflect on the existential themes of authenticity and responsibility and their role in the age of social networks.
SOME NOTES ON FREEDOM
Freedom is a term and a concept given primacy in discussing the human person because it is one of those definitive qualities that set a person apart from all other creatures in the created world. Man is a free being capable of making decisions and directing oneself toward a goal without being moved by anything other than the self. It is also because of freedom that man is able to make ethical choices and perform ethical actions. Because of freedom, man may perform good or evil actions. The performance of good or evil actions has its corresponding consequences:
If I am free, I can make good or bad use of my freedom. If I use it well, I in my turn become more ‘good’ as a result, and the good I have accomplished has a positive influence on those around me. If, on the other hand, I use it wrongly, evil will take root and begin to spread both in me and around me.1
Today, there is a certain concept of freedom with widespread support in public opinion that diverts attention from ethical responsibilities.2 This view of freedom seeks freedom for its own sake—what matters is to be free and released from every form of restraint and limitation. It certainly sounds empowering for it breaks away from any norm that may put a limit on it. Although liberating, this view of freedom poses a lot of risks for the agent of action as well as the people around him. Freedom that cuts itself from ethical considerations will inevitably give rise to various forms of violence against the self and against others.
As stated previously, the freedom of speech has found a new means and place of expression because of the rise of social networks. In this light, people are free to express and communicate what they wish and also in the manner in which they wish to do so. Freedom of speech has found a new home where one can be as one wishes to be. All this is possible because the general attitude in social networks is that one may freely express what he wishes to, and the rules and restrictions regulating the content are usually loose and relative.
There are, of course, some considerations when one exercises his rights regarding social networks. The common questions one may have to deal with are the following: “What may I say?” “How should I say it?” “How will this affect the people around me?” The problem is that, in the Internet, what may be acceptable to one may not necessarily be acceptable to another. External (or sometimes referred to as “imposed”) norms of behavior are thought to be contrary to the freedom of speech. These days, subjectivity and private judgement are the only norms that do not deny personal freedom. Again, this kind of understanding of freedom poses risks to those using the social networks as a mode and means of communication. It also poses a challenge to the existential themes of authenticity and responsibility.
AUTHENTICITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
In existentialism, the notion of authenticity is presented in different ways by the different existential philosophers. It is about the life that is worth living for the human being. An authentic life is that which affirms and celebrates one’s existence, while an inauthentic life is a lower kind of life that is to be avoided. Etymologically, the adjective authentic means original, genuine, and principal.3 Authenticity is also connected with the notion of truth, and in the case of this paper’s theme, it is about being true to oneself.
By connecting through social networks, one is able to be closer than ever to others and to let oneself be known better. The sharing of one’s inner life is mediated and enhanced with the use of social networking sites and applications. Man’s search for truth is also manifest in his engagement in social networks, that is, he is also seeking authentic human relations, for instance, friendship and love. Because of social networking sites and applications, the number of people that a person may interact with has increased exponentially, but the core value of wanting to form authentic bonds remains. This desire for an authentic relationship is mutual, and such a relationship is possible only if each person presents himself in an authentic manner.
What does it mean to be authentic in the age of social networks? One may be authentic if what one manifests of oneself reflects the truth about himself. A person sometimes pretends to be someone other than what he or she really wishes to be usually because of external norms and dictates imposed by society. The “stare” of the other(s) affects an individual because one is concerned about how he or she is seen by others. In the case of social networks, the norms of society are less prevalent because of the premium placed on one’s individual freedom. Thus, I need not pretend or seem to be someone other than myself because I am free to express myself in the manner that I want.
Authenticity—being true to oneself—finds comfort in the milieu provided by social networks. Because authenticity is highly regarded, one would like to believe that the individual on the other side is being as authentic as oneself. This is the meaning of the desire for authentic human relations in social networks. Now that one finds it easier to be authentic, one also wishes that the other is also being authentic and this is the foundation for building authentic human relations even if it is mediated by digital technology.
Just as being authentic has become much easier, it has also become increasingly easier, however, to be inauthentic. Given that one has control over what one makes public in a social network, it is very easy and convenient to create a false identity online. What one posts and shares may not necessarily reflect the sentiments one holds intimately in his or her inner life. The danger here is that I cannot tell if the other is being authentic toward me or not? There have been many instances of fraud and deception done through these social networks. And if external norms are generally kept out of social networks, how can this concern be addressed?
The Holy Father recognizes these realities and difficulties and this paper is generally a reflection on his 45th Message for the World Communications Day. He says that there is a challenge to be authentic and faithful and not give in to the illusion of constructing an artificial public profile for oneself.4 With the relatively unregulated nature of social networks, the burden of authenticity inevitably falls upon each user to employ the available tools in a manner that is free and responsible.
Exchanges in the social network will be authentic if communication is honest and open, responsible and respectful of others.5 Although I have complete dominion over myself and the content that I share with others, I must take into consideration ethical norms that ought to regulate the content and manner of communication. This goes back to the idea of freedom and how its use not only affects others but ultimately determines the self as well. Freedom is a power, a gift given to a person but freedom is not to be understood simply as a freedom from but also a freedom for. The notion of a freedom for points to the idea that freedom has a purpose, a goal, or a proper use.
In the context of this paper, the freedom of speech and expression is not just something that one may use arbitrarily according to one’s whims and impulses; it must be used to form authentic human relations that enrich the self as well as the other. The freedom to communicate must end up in the formation of a community of persons—it must lead to solidarity. Freedom then must be used responsibly by every user of social networking sites. Every user must regulate himself or herself, always with a view to charity for the other in order to avoid violence against the other. A real community of persons may only be grounded on personal authenticity, and it is ethical responsibility that provides the basis of authenticity.
The Holy Father writes in his Message for the 47th World Communications Day:
These spaces, when engaged in a wise and balanced way, help to foster forms of dialogue and debate which, if conducted respectfully and with concern for privacy, responsibility and truthfulness, can reinforce the bonds of unity between individuals and effectively promote the harmony of the human family. The exchange of information can become true communication, links ripen into friendships, and connections facilitate communion. If the networks are called to realize this great potential, the people involved in them must make an eff ort to be authentic since, in these spaces, it is not only ideas and information that are shared, but ultimately our very selves.6
These reflections of the Holy Father are reminders for each user to always keep in mind that every message shared on a social network has its roots in one’s inner life and has implications and consequences far greater than what one may think. The message is clear: we must be authentic and responsible in the use of the social networking sites and applications.
CONCLUSION
The idea of authentic and responsible posting/sharing/blogging is certainly not new to anyone. Yet many in the digital world choose to ignore or need to be reminded of this lesson. Because of the Internet’s speed and convenience, people tend to give in to impulse, emotion, and random thought whenever they share content and post messages in their social networks. But lack of self-control certainly goes against the rational nature of a person.
While the Internet and social networks have definitely pushed the boundaries of communication much further than what was conceivable, this should not be a reason for the human element in communication to be cast aside or taken for granted. To keep up with the pace of development, external and material constraints have been put in place to help filter and regulate content but the bigger responsibility still lies in the user itself. One must always be conscious of the importance of the values of authenticity and responsibility as one makes use of these tools readily available for his or her disposal. We must always remember that the value of a post (and of the self as presented online) is not measured by popularity but by the good that it brings to the person and the others around him.
1 Pope John Paul II, Memory and Identity, (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005), page 37.
2 Ibid.
3 From the Online Etymology Dictionary’s entry on “authentic” http:// etymonline.com/index.php?term=authentic&allowed_in_frame=0
4 Pope Benedict XVI, “Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity in the Digital Age,” Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for the 45th World Communications Day, accessed through: http://www.vatican.va/holy_ father/benedict_xvi/messages/communications/documents/hf_benxvi_ mes_20110124_45th-world-communications-day_en.html.
5 Ibid.
6 Pope Benedict XVI “Social Networks: Portals of Truth and Faith; New Spaces for Evangelization.” Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for the 47th World Communications Day, accessed through http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/communications/ documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20130124_47th-world-communicationsday_en.html.
Banner photo by cottonbro studio.
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