Identity After Authenticity: Abigail Thorn's Profile | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

This video explores the evolution of identity-building from traditional sincerity and authenticity models to the current era of profilicity, fueled by social media and the creation of online profiles.

Key Insights

• 👥 Identity and social media: The coming out video of Abigail Thorne as a trans woman attracted a lot of views, highlighting the importance of identity in the world of social media.
• 📺 Pushing forward the host: The motive behind creating content on social media platforms is often to push forward the individual's personal identity and gain recognition.
• 💡 Three technologies of building identity: Sincerity, authenticity, and profilicity are three models of building identity, each with its own historical trajectory and methods of constructing identity.
• 🌟 Profilicity as a new technology: Profilicity is a profile-based form of building identity that has become dominant in the age of social media, where individuals create profiles to represent themselves based on second-order observations and recognition.
• 🎭 The paradox of authenticity and profilicity: While individuals still use authenticity vocabulary to describe their identity, the means by which they present themselves often align with the profilicity model, blurring the line between these two identity technologies.
• 👥 General peer and abstract validation: The concept of the general peer refers to the impersonal validation individuals seek from the wider audience, rather than just the opinions of immediate peers. Social validation feedback loops play a crucial role in this process.
• ⚖️ Challenges and stress: No identity model is perfect or stress-free. Each model, including sincerity, authenticity, and profilicity, comes with its own set of challenges and stressors, highlighting the need for philosophical reflection and coping strategies.
• ♀️ Exploring coping mechanisms: Philosophical reflection, such as drawing from Taoist traditions, can offer insights and coping mechanisms to navigate the challenges posed by identity formation in the age of profilicity and social media.

Transcript

interestingly enough just one day after we published our somewhat critical analysis of philosophytube's video on khan's critique of pure reason the presenter abigail thorne posted a coming out video of herself as being a trans woman and that attracted a lot of views and then we got a lot of views through that as well the title of her coming out vid... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How has the concept of identity-building evolved over time?

Identity-building has evolved from traditional models based on role commitment (sincerity) and the discovery of one's true self (authenticity) to the current era of profilicity, where online profiles play a crucial role in constructing identity.

Q: What are the defining characteristics of the sincerity model of identity-building?

The sincerity model emphasizes commitment to roles within a specific group, such as family or religion. It requires genuine emotional involvement and is considered "sincere" when one fully identifies and commits to their role.

Q: How does the authenticity model differ from the sincerity model?

The authenticity model focuses on discovering or creating a true self beneath social roles. It encourages uniqueness, creativity, and nonconformity, with the belief that authenticity leads to individual fulfillment and recognition from others.

Q: What is profilicity, and how does it shape identity-building?

Profilicity is a model of identity-building centered around the creation and maintenance of online profiles. It emphasizes second-order observation (evaluating oneself based on how others observe and judge) and the validation received from a general peer, which is an abstract, impersonal audience.

Q: How do social validation feedback loops contribute to profilicity?

Social validation feedback loops, as seen on social media platforms, play a significant role in profilicity. Users seek validation and feedback from their online interactions, constantly striving to build and refine their online profiles based on the response received.

Q: Is there a perfect model for identity-building?

Each model of identity-building has its limitations and drawbacks, leading to stress and problems. Sincerity, authenticity, and profilicity all have their own challenges, and it is crucial to recognize and address these issues to live with the current era of profilicity effectively.

Q: How does the concept of identity-building on social media relate to the idea of a general peer?

On social media, the general peer represents an abstract, impersonal audience. Users seek validation and acceptance from this wider audience, shaping their identity based on the feedback received. Bonding through social validation feedback loops helps individuals connect with the general peer.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The video discusses three models of identity-building: sincerity, authenticity, and profilicity.

• Sincerity is based on sincere commitment to roles within a group, while authenticity focuses on the discovery or creation of one's true self.

• Profilicity, the most advanced model, is characterized by the creation and maintenance of online profiles for identity construction.