Freedom and constraint in digital environments: implications for the self
File(s)Talaifar & Lowery 8.2.21.docx (421.11 KB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Talaifar, Sanaz
Lowery, Brian S
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We evaluate how features of the digital environment free or constrain the self. Based on the current empirical literature, we argue that modern technological features, such as predictive algorithms and tracking tools, pose four potential obstacles to the freedom of the self: lack of privacy and anonymity, (dis)embodiment and entrenchment of social hierarchy, changes to memory and cognition, and behavioral reinforcement coupled with reduced randomness. Comparing these constraints on the self to the freedom promised by earlier digital environments suggests that digital reality can be designed in more freeing ways. We describe how people reassert personal agency in the face of the digital environment’s constraints and provide avenues for future research regarding technology’s influence on the self.
Date Issued
2023-05-01
Date Acceptance
2022-09-01
Citation
Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2023, 18 (3), pp.544-575
ISSN
1745-6916
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Start Page
544
End Page
575
Journal / Book Title
Perspectives on Psychological Science
Volume
18
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Sage Publications. The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Perspectives on Psychological Science by Sage Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. It is available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17456916221098036
Identifier
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17456916221098036
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2022-09-30